Her sock covered feet padded down the hallway while the hem of her white cotton night gown skimmed the floor. It was almost time for lights out and the other students were all getting ready for bed while trying to socialize. Damia passed an open door but stopped when she heard her name.
"Hey Damia," came the familiar southern accent of Rogue. Her red head poked out of the door and she smiled at Damia.
"Hi, Rogue." Damia stepped a little closer and could see that Rogue's room was decorated just like all the other girls' rooms. "What's up?"
Rogue smiled sheepishly as she spoke. "I just wanted to thank you again for saving me." This had to be the tenth time today she thanked Damia.
With a dismissive wave of her hand and a smile Damia said, "Ah, it was nothing. You owe me one though." Her fellow teen mutant laughed at the joke.
"I actually thought of a way to repay you." As she spoke she disappeared into the room only to return with a thick leather bound book. "I found a nickname for you."
She handed the book to Damia who read the gold letters printed on the cover. Faerie Tales and Myths For All Ages. Slightly confused, Damia turned to the marked page. She was surprised to see a beautiful girl the size of a faerie sitting on a mushroom and smiling up to the larger green world that surrounded her. Damia noticed a caption under the picture and she read it.
Nymphs are usually depicted as beautiful young girls. They live in the wilderness and tend to use their influence over the four elements to protect the woods, springs, lakes, and rivers that they love so much.
Damia's hazel eyes turned to Rogue with confusion. Her fellow teen mutant was smiling at her.
"I was flipping through that book and when I read the caption I thought of you," Rogue said as she watched Damia study the picture closely. "So, what do you think of being called Nymph?"
Damia smiled and looked back to Rogue. "It's a hell of a lot better than 'kid.'" The two girls laughed. Damia couldn't help but take an instant liking to her new name.
It was too hot and the full moon was bathing her room in light. The moon... such a beautiful thing. With a sigh Damia tossed the blankets off and climbed out of bed. She looked out her window and took in the sight of the dark grounds rolling away from to the stretch of woods. The woods she had not yet explored.
Without bothering to put on a sweater or shoes, Damia slipped out of the mansion and into the backyard. The dewy grass dampened her socks and the hem of her night gown as her feet silently carried her to the fence. A cloud slid over the moon, hiding her as she scaled the brick wall with ease and landed with a soft thud.
The trees were all extremely tall and dense. As she peered into the abyss she found it hard to see anything. Bravely she stepped in and was swallowed by the darkness.
After a few minutes of walking, Damia decided that no one from the mansion would be able to see her. She pulled off her socks and rolled them up before she wiggled her bare toes in the cool grass. She smiled at the feeling, something she longed to experience for months.
It was nearly midnight and all the lights in the mansion had long since went out. Toad was about to return to the island base for the night. He had been sitting in the woods all day, watching his latest target. The sun had dried out his skin even if he had been sitting in the shade for most of the day. As he turned to leave, something caught his eye. He looked to the mansion again and saw a figure slip out.
The moon bathed the figure with light and he could tell that it was a female. The same female he had been sent here to watch. She moved across the yard and as she reached the brick wall the moon disappeared behind a cloud. Now he could only make out her dark silhouette as she scaled the wall and landed on the other side. He watched as she stepped into the woods. From a distance Toad silently followed the girl. He hopped from tree to tree with skill, she had no idea he was there.
He was about to jump again when he notice the shadow he was following had stopped walking. It looked as though she were taking her socks off and indeed she was. After a few seconds of just standing there, her bare feet in the damp grass, she continued her walk. Toad watched her move gracefully through the woods and he noticed something about her movements had changed since she stopped.
He leaned closer on the branch and watched her more closely, seeing that the difference was in her feet. He leaned closer still, cursing himself for being nearsighted and not having his goggles with him. It looked as though something was springing up in the ground around her feet and then it sunk back again.
Toad was still trying to figure it out when the moon reappeared from its shelter. It illuminated the woods and Toad could see the girl more clearly. He focused on her feet and couldn't believe his eyes. He blinked a few times before he looked again. Sure enough he wasn't dreaming. Every time the girl's feet touched the ground, plant life would spring up and bloom before it wilted and died. It was as if they were going through the four seasons in fast forward.
The branch he was perched on groaned slightly but Toad didn't notice. He was so intent on watching the girl that he didn't hear the branch's protests as he moved further out on the limb. He didn't notice until a loud cracking sound filled his ears and he felt the air rushing through his hair. Toad hit the ground with a loud thud and he muttered under his breath, cursing himself and the tree.
Damia froze suddenly. She definitely heard something behind her in the woods. She turned to the direction of the sound. All through her walk she had been ignoring the feeling of someone watching her. Now she ignored the feeling of foreboding as she crept to where she had heard the noise. Why in the hell did I come out here? I should have known better! She cautiously stepped around a tree and found the source of the noise.
Before her lay a green man, pinned under a tree branch. He hadn't noticed her yet, he was too busy trying to pry is foot out from under the broken bough. A colorful variety of cuss words were being uttered as he fought with the offending branch.
Damia stepped forward and knelt down beside him. He noticed her for the first time and tried to jump away but only fell backwards, landing on his backside. Damia didn't bother trying to talk to him, she wasted no time getting the branch off of him. It was too heavy for her to move on her own so she instead focused on the ground. With the right maneuvering she could get the branch off using her powers.
There was a slight rumbling and the ground shook a little. A chunk of the Earth rose under the tree branch, freeing the man's foot. Damia turned to him but the moon had slipped behind the clouds again and she couldn't make out his face. He sat there frozen, staring at her in disbelief.
Silently and gently she picked up the foot that had been trapped and began to take his boot off. Toad tried to jerk away but her grip, though delicate, was surprisingly strong.
"Hold still," Damia whispered as she carefully pulled the boot off. Toad was amazed at himself for complying. He stiffened as her warm hand slid over his clammy skin, she was making sure he hadn't broken any bones. "Can you move it?" Her voice was calm and quiet as she studied the stranger's foot. What in the hell am I doing!? He's trespassing, I should tell the Professor...but...
Toad moved his ankle, relieved that it wasn't broken. Maybe now the girl would get her hands off of him. Her warm, gentle hands which were actually touching him. No one ever touched him without flinching. It was kind of... enjoyable. Bloody hell, Toad! Stop thinking.
"It's obviously not broken," she said as she placed his foot in her lap. "Do you have a lighter?" She looked at the silhouette of his face, Damia couldn't make out his features.
Reluctantly, Toad reached into his pocket and pulled out his lighter. What in the hell is she planning on doing? he asked himself. He handed it to her silently, hoping she'd let go soon so he could escape. Then he realized she wasn't holding his foot anymore, it was resting in her lap. He could easily kick her and make a get away. So why wasn't he?
A small flame appeared from the lighter. It was very weak and Damia couldn't see any better than she could without it. With a sigh she set it on the ground and thought about it being a bit bigger. Toad jumped as the flame suddenly grew, illuminating the girl in front of him.
He took in her long golden brown curls, her pale skin. He found himself admiring the way her cotton nightgown gave a hint to her hourglass figure. She was quite pretty. NO! Bad, Toad. Don't think about it...
His thoughts were interrupted by her voice. "I don't think it's sprained. Can you walk?" At that moment she looked at his face for the first time and she gasped, causing Toad to flinch.
There it was. He was wondering when she'd realized that he was an ugly green man. He jerked his foot away from her and glared at the nearest tree. Somewhere in the back of his mind he had been hoping that maybe she wouldn't mind the clammy green skin. He inwardly cursed himself for that.
Damia stared at the man in front of her. His skin had a green hue to it and his hair was green-brown. She could see his very dark, almost black eyes. But his skin and hair weren't what she was looking at.
"Your face," she said quietly. As she continued to stare at him.
Toad angrily turned his eyes on her. "What's wrong with my face," he asked with his thick British accent. "Never seen a green man before?"
For a minute Damia was taken aback but she recovered quickly. "No, I haven't," she said matter-of-factly. "But that's not what I was looking at. You happen to have a cut on your cheek."
A cut on his cheek? Toad suddenly became aware of a slight twinge of pain. He didn't have time to wonder at it though. Damia's hands were touching him again. If he was surprised by her hands on his ankle, it was nothing compared to the shock of having them on his face. He pulled away so suddenly that he nearly fell over.
"You really don't like to be touched, do you," Damia asked as she took his face in her hands again.
Toad blinked at her then averted his eyes. The only female who had ever been this close to him was Mystique when they were sparring. "Not used it," he mumbled inaudibly before he realized what he'd said. Again he swore inwardly.
"Hmm..." Damia ignored his last comment as she tried to examine his wound in the dimming light. "Stupid lighter," she said as she turned to glare at the shrinking flame. Under her gaze the fire from the lighter grew again and she turned back to Toad.
To his great surprise she tore a piece of her night gown off. She dropped into her lap so she could touch the tip of her index finger to the ground. Toad watched as the dew from the grass was drawn to her finger tip where it collected. Soon there was a small bubble of water on the tip of her finger. Damia moved her finger away and the orb hovered in midair between her and Toad.
"I can clean it up but there's no way for me to stop the bleeding." Her voice brought Toad's attention from the water bubble back to her. She was dipping the strip of her nightgown into the bubble, soaking it.
A bead of sweat appeared on her forehead as she tried to keep the fire from dying down while keeping the water bubble together and floating. It was bad enough trying to keep her weak spot in check but while concentrating on another element and an injured man, it was tiring. With great care she managed to wash away the blood and dirt while the flame from the lighter slowly got smaller.
"Why are you doing this," Toads thick accent filled the air and she was taken by surprise. For a moment she lost her concentration. The bubble began to fall apart as it headed for the ground and the flame almost flickered out.
Damia managed to catch the ball just before it hit the ground and she slowly made it float up to its proper place. When she was satisfied with the water bubble she turned to the lighter, cranking the flame again. When she looked back to her patient she found his dark eyes watching her intently and she remembered he had asked her a question.
"Well," Damia began as she started to clean his cut again. She grinned mischievously. "I like to keep my stalkers at full health." She almost lost her concentration again when she saw Toad's reaction.
His jaw dropped and his already large eyes widened. "What... How," he managed to get the words out but they didn't make a coherent sentence. How could she possible know he was stalking her? Was she laughing at him?
Damia laughed again at the glare he gave her. "I kind of figured someone was following me. I mean, all day I've felt like I was being watched. I figured it was just that numbskull, Pyro being his usual creepy self. Guess I was wrong." Damia smiled at him as she finally finished cleaning up his face. "All done."
By now Toad's head was spinning. She had known he was following her. She had caught him in the act. She had helped him get his foot out from under the accursed tree branch and then cleaned his cut. She had even touched him without being repulsed. Now she was looking at him with those dancing hazel eyes.
"What's your name?" Damia asked as she looked away from his pensive black eyes. She had no idea why she was asking. In fact, she had no idea why she hadn't raised the alarm when she found him.
She let the Earth slide back into place, which she forgot to do before. It was easy to keep the ground in place so it was no wonder she hadn't realized she was doing it. Damia turned to the water ball and let it fall to the ground, bursting as it did. As she turned her attention to the lighter she was aware of his eyes on her again.
She handed him his lighter and as she did his voice filled her ears. "Toad," he said simply.
Damia nodded as he took his lighter, their fingers touched and for some reason she felt herself blushing. Secretly Toad was thanking his lucky stars for the lack of light, she couldn't see him flush when their fingers met. He cursed himself as he stood to escape her.
"I'm Damia," she began but then another name came to mind. "But they call me Nymph." With that she stood up as well.
For awhile the two of them just stood there in silence. There was a sudden gust of wind as the clouds in sky finally opened up, pouring their contents on the two young people. Damia looked up and smiled as the rain soaked her thoroughly, it had been too long since she was caught in a rain storm.
Her smile turned to Toad who she could tell was not liking the rain. He looked up as the tree tops crowded together, blocking out the rain. Looking back at the girl in front of him he couldn't help but be amazed by her.
They stood there and watched each other for a long while. Damia finally turned and started to walk away calling over her shoulder, "Goodbye Toad. Oh, watch out for the trip wires at the edge of the woods, they'll raise the alarm."
She disappeared from his sight and as she went the trees parted, letting the rain fall on him again. For a few minutes Toad stood there in a stupor. This girl, this Nymph was... strange. She didn't alert anyone of his presence like she should have. Instead she had taken care of him, helped him. She even touched me.
Shaking his head Toad turned to leave. "What a bloody night," he grumbled as he glanced over his shoulder and somewhat reluctantly walked away.