Survival Of The Fittest

"It would help if I knew what the hell I wanted to study. Pre-med, maybe? From what I hear American's more of a political school."

It was nice to know she'd be willing to tough out the distance, though, either way. That he was worth the effort. He gave her an appreciative little squeeze when she settled against him again, left arm wrapped around her, as he nodded along with what she had to say. She was right about one thing, when had he ever given up? Even during recovery he'd never thought about just calling it all quits. He'd wondered, now and then, if he really had what it took, if one state title in Arizona would really hold up to NCAA Division I wrestling, but Nadia had a way of making him feel like he could do anything. What were a few hundred miles next to the power of the human spirit? If all else failed, it was what, a bit over a hundred bucks for a plane ticket to LA from Stanford?

The desert winds blew on, as apathetic to his questions and concerns as they had been to his ancestors'. He'd need to take his car in for washing tomorrow, caked with sand and dust as it was.

"Stanford's right outside San Fran though, if I went there and you visited me we could have some fun there. I might prefer being somewhere it's always sunny anyway, I've been out east before and it gets a bit cold for my tastes."

"Yeah, the East Coast isn't as pleasant as the West," Nadia said. "I think you'd do well in San Francisco. Lots of cool museums and natural sights to visit. I haven't gone there yet, so I bet we could have fun there."

Nadia watched as the desert wind blew some dust in the air. She closed her eyes, thinking some might get in. Once it was quiet again, she opened her eyes.

"But still, pre-med is good," Nadia added. "I know that's going to be pretty tough, but there's always plenty of opportunities for that."

"That's the idea. Besides, if I became a doctor, I could go back to the Nation now and then and help people there, kind of like Dad does."

He had no idea what kind of doctor he wanted to be, of course, if he even wanted to be one at all. Probably wanted to be one more than he wanted to be a politician, though. It was a tossup really, one could help people directly, with their own hands-on work, the other could force changes in the status quo to make things better for everyone. Both appealed in their own ways, though fixing people tried his patience less than endless paperwork and legal jargon did.

"We could hit the road or grab a plane ticket over summer break, too, if you'd like to go up there."

It wasn't like he'd never gone on trips with the family, or brought her along during one of the school breaks. A few days in San Fran or DC could do them some good, let them let their hair down so to speak.

Nadia smiled while Rod talked about becoming a doctor to help out the Navajo nation. She loved that he had such reverence for his indigenous heritage. She was one-quarter Japanese, but the most her family did with to celebrate that was to make curry for dinner every other week. She had never even been to Japan or seen where her grandparents grew up. Rod at least had a place to celebrate his heritage, and Nadia was pleased she was allowed to see it with him.

Rod then suggested that they take a trip to one of these cities. Nadia nodded.

"Yeah, that'd be a fun thing to do to celebrate the end of high school," she said. "I wouldn't mind doing a romantic getaway. See the sights, eat local cuisine, just live it up in a new place. It'll definitely require some convincing from my parents, but I'm sure I can do it."

"Then it's a date."

Who knew, maybe he could even talk his parents into a trip to Japan and surprise her with an invite. That'd have to be cleared with the Rivas though, and even though his and Nadia's parents knew about their relationship, maybe that'd be a bit of an awkward talk to have. They were adults now though, or near enough, so what was the harm in thinking about it?

The sands swirled around the Challenger just a little, and somewhere off in the distance there was the group yip-howling of a coyote pack. The barking chorus made it sound like an army of the creatures was about to crest the hill, but there were probably only a few, a little family of the great trickster's descendants declaring this stretch of the Mojave their own. When he was a child the sound might have kicked up some primal, instinctive fear, but now it had no power over him, just another song of the west he'd say he was glad to be rid of but would miss deep in his bones.

As long as they didn't go off and disturb the den, the pack probably wouldn't bother them, so Roderick didn't visibly acknowledge the howls except with a little smile Nadia might not even see in the moonlight, relaxing against her.

"Maybe they're congratulating us," he told her, the faintest hint of mischief in his voice. "You know, 'good job, you won, you're getting out of here'."

Nadia chuckled to herself as Rod attempted to translate the coyote howls.

"Well, I'd howl back, but I'd probably mess up the grammar," Nadia said.

It was pretty cool being out here at night and hearing the coyotes. It added to the ambiance and made her appreciate their choice to come out here. Nadia had thought that, of everything from her Kingman heritage, she would take the southwest influences and desert scenery with her to wherever she went. It really was an aesthetic she wanted to carry with her for the rest of her career.

It was then an idea came to her. Nadia held up the camera in her lap and looked at Rod.

"Hey, want to do something fun?"

"You know it."

Probably something to do with her photography, the way she held that camera as she said it. Roderick didn't mind though, he'd been happy to support her passion in any way he could in the year they'd known each other. Any time he'd brought her to the reservation, for instance, he'd gone ahead and made sure of what people would and wouldn't be okay with her photographing. The genuine interest in and respect for Navajo culture she showed endeared her to those he knew in the Nation and, if he reflected on it, probably played no small role in him feeling so much more seriously for her than any of the other women he'd been with during his time in Kingman.

The rippling howls and barks continued, and with their ebb and flow it was almost as if the pack were cheering on whatever she had in mind.

"Go on, lay it on me."

Nadia slid over to the edge of the hood and hopped off. She stretched her back a bit and slowly moved to the front of the car. After sitting on the flat metal surface for a few minutes, she wanted to get some feeling back into her lower body. Once she was in front of the car, she placed the camera strap around her neck.

"Let's take some pictures," she said to Rod. "It's a gorgeous night, I'm feeling good, and I think we can make some magic happen. Well, magic different from the kind we made in the backseat, but magic nonetheless."

Nadia found it kind of cheesy, but she really loved taking pictures of herself and her boyfriend. For one, she thought Rod was attractive enough to be a good model with the right direction. Second, it felt like a good gift for him and other people. She could get a really good photo of Rod, then have it printed and framed. Third, they had a perfect setting. They didn't have the best lighting, but they could improvise or at least try for silhouette photos.

"You up for that?" she asked.

Magic, huh? He couldn't help a chuckle, soft at first and a bit louder when she mentioned what had just happened in his car, his grin showing teeth. Not mocking at all, just good spirits, especially as he respectfully but very openly looked her up and down while she stretched. She liked to photograph him and he liked to appreciate her, but all in good fun. In the Kanuho residence's living room, there was a fireplace, and among the decorations on its mantel were numerous photographs she'd snapped of him over their time together. In some he was "racing the sun" out in the desert or through Kingman's streets, in others he was practising, partaking in ceremonies on the reservation, just standing around and goofing off, and there was even one of a more recent visit they paid to the Nation together. Roderick had been teaching some Diné kids a little bit about how to wrestle, and she'd taken a shot just as he was walking them through a hold, firm but caring and encouraging. Pictures of himself doing things always seemed like an odd gift, he preferred the ones she sent him of them together, but the thought was definitely appreciated, and she was a far better photographer than he could ever be. Far be it from him to discourage her passions, either way, especially when she phrased her offer almost like a challenge.

If you asked Rod if he was "up for" something, he was going to show you he sure as hell was. You could break him but you couldn't make him back down. With another grin, he bounded to his feet from the sitting position he took on the bonnet in a second flat, kicking up sand from the impact and a little tender jolt from his ankle that he ignored. It was working after all, just still a bit sore now and then.

"Sounds like fun to me. Anything you'd like to start with?"

Nadia put her hand under her chin and began to hum to herself. It was one thing to impulsively want to take pictures, but she actually had to think this out. First was the setting. There was a car, and bare desert with a few rocks around. She could work with that. Next was lighting. Her camera had a flash, and they could use the headlights of the car. It wouldn't look the best or the most natural, but she was sure she could come up with something. Maybe the absence of lighting was what she needed for this.

Nadia looked around. She saw a rock that looked slightly flat. From a certain angle, she could see nothing in the background by the sky and all the stars. She looked back at Rod taking in his figure and his appearance. That's when the idea clicked.

"Okay, I've got one I'd like to try," she said.

Nadia pointed to the rock.

"I think if you step on the rock and look off into the distance, it'll look really cool. Maybe take your jacket off so you can look more natural. Don't worry, you can keep the pants on."

"I'll try to play with the settings on the camera. How does that sound?"

"Fine by me."

Or maybe she just wanted him to walk around without a shirt on, wouldn't be the first time. That was also fine by him, so no loss there. Roderick shrugged off his jacket and let it fall onto the bonnet, stretching a little as he walked over to the indicated rock. In the darkness, he made out a silhouette on a hill a bit away; one of the coyotes had gone to the summit and seemed to be staring curiously at them. Or possibly the light of his car, it was difficult to tell at this distance. For something to focus on, he stared back at it, head high, one foot going on the rock, hands going on his hips.

When in doubt, go all Captain Morgan.

"How's this?"

(Minor GMing approved)

Nadia watched Rod take his place on the rock, taking a moment to admire his shirtless physique, before she moved over. He was standing with one foot on the rock and with his hands on his hips.

"Hold on, let me try something," she said.

Nadia looked over him. She reached out and touched his right hand, pulling it off his hip and letting it dangle to his side. Next, she moved his left hand slightly down, keeping it on his hip but making the space his arm made smaller. She then moved to his front and looked him directly in the face. She placed her hand under his chin and tilted it slightly. First a little to his right, then a little up. Nadia took a step back and looked him over.

"Okay," she said. "I think that'll work. I'll try from a few angles, so try to hold that pose."

Nadia moved over to Rod's left and took a few steps back. Once she stopped, she held the camera up and looked at Rod through the viewfinder. The night sky was clear enough that Rod wasn't an amorphous blob in the darkness, although the lighting wasn't as great as she had hoped. The car was on to run the AC, so there was some lighting behind him. Nadia shrugged and decided to not worry. She could edit the photos at home, and from where she was, there was enough of Rod to capture his manliness and powerful expression.

"Okay, here we go," she said.

Nadia clicked the shutter, snapping a photo. She then flicked the camera to turn the flash on.

"And once with flash."

She took another picture. Nadia began to move around Rod in a half circle, from his left side to his right. Nadia knew they were just messing around, so she was going to merely take as many pictures as she felt necessary and then look at them on her computer.

"You're looking great," she told Rod. "I'm almost done."

"All right."

He knew the drill, they'd done this often enough, and he moved as she told him to move and looked where she told him to look. Simple enough really, and it wasn't like he was incapable of holding still. He even managed to avoid blinking when the flashes started to come, one after the other. Just keep looking off into the distance and holding his position. Like a living statue.

Nadia took another snapshot, and then lowered the camera.

"Okay, that should be good."

Nadia looked at the pictures on the camera. Some angles definitely looked better than others, but for lighting and other details, she'd probably need to check on them at home in better lighting. Still, she was feeling quite pumped by this photo shoot and wanted to keep going.

Nadia looked around the area, listening to the distant howls of coyotes. She then looked at Rod's challenger, and a thought came to her.

"Hey, let's do one together," she said. "I think I have an idea."

What, did she want him to wrestle the coyote? If it didn't run away, its friends would join in and that wouldn't be a fair fight. That rather silly thought aside, when she gave the word he finally relaxed, letting out the breath he'd been holding and loosening his muscles just a little with the rush of air. Little trails of sweat ran down his skin, from the warmth of the desert and their exertions earlier. The crispness of the air kept him alert at least, and he finally looked away from the coyote off in the distance to regard Nadia again. He'd learnt to keep an open mind, because when she "had an idea" it was usually a really good time.

"What've you got in mind?"

They were already enjoying themselves, after all, so no harm in indulging her.