Chand Schmidt

Chand Schmidt is a love interest in the book Hell and High Water.

## About Chand Schmidt

Chand is a courier from Homeport who sails with Lori Kaplan on *Gitana*.

He is rather laid-back, enjoys life on the boat and playing his guitar. Chand's special eye color and flawless night vision are the result of a reflective layer in his eyes, a recessive splice passed down from generation to generation. He suffers from photosensitivity as a result, which is why, in most cases, he wears goggle-like sunglasses.

Chand and Lori learned everything about sailing from Lori's godmother Nina and got in a lot of trouble together when they were younger. Chand has had a bit of a crush on Lori since they were young, they grew up together until they were teenagers, then Lori moved away for about a decade.

As a boy, Chand was often at the center of incidents around the settlement—or used as a scapegoat. He developed a reputation as a troublemaker that only grew in his teens and, unbeknownst to the adults of Homeport, was often the target of bullying. A near-catastrophe involving the tidal generator brought things to a head, and the resulting intervention by Luis and Nora, Homeport's therapist, marked the beginning of a brighter chapter in Chand's youth. Chand also had a sudden growth spurt at about this time and found himself towering over his former bullies.

**Trigger Warning** ⚠️: This paragraph mentions date rape. Please read on with caution. | When Chand was twenty, he went to Prince Rupert to visit family. Thinking of going to university there, he hit the bars at night, excited to meet new people. One morning, Chand woke up next to a guy he didn't know and realized he has been drugged and assaulted. After this traumatic experience, he went through a really hard time and made a lot of "awful decisions". It took him a while to seek professional help, but in the end he went to see Nora again. Two years later, the criminal was caught and executed.

At the beginning of the story, Chand and Lori work as couriers and distribute food and other goods. His girlfriend Krissa breaks up with him which upsets Chand for a while, and he talks to Lori about looking for his true love. Despite having been in a lot of relationships with men and women, Chand is a romantic and tries to stay optimistic. After the supply ship *Aquila* crashes during a storm, Lori and her friends decide to step up and move the medical supplies all the way up the line to Anchorage. During their adventurous trip, Chand and Lori start getting closer and begin a relationship.

## Relationships

* Lori Kaplan: Childhood friend and fellow courier. They can stay friendly or become more, depending on the player.
* Krissa: His ex-girlfriend.
* Pramila: His ex-girlfriend and Todd's coworker at the bakeshop.
* Nina: Lori's godmother who taught both of them how to sail.
* Phoebe: Old friend and fellow crew member.
* Sunny: Fellow crew member.
* RJ: Fellow crew member.
* Connor: Fellow crew member. If Chand is not romancing Lori, he starts catching feelings for Connor.
* Eric: His ex-boyfriend who lives in Juneau.

## Quotes

* *"I'm lucky I get to spend as much time as I do with you. You're fun to be around."* (S1, Ep2)
* *"Sailors that rush off to save sinking ships are definitely my type."* (S1, Ep4)
* *"Spending time around you makes my days better. I like being there to support you when you're too busy worrying about others... I like being there to catch you when you fall. And seeing you smile... it's like knowing that things are going to be okay."* (S1, Ep9)

## Trivia

* Chand is 6'2" (188 cm).
* He is an Aquarius Sun, Pisces Moon and Leo Rising.
* Do's: relaxing in nature, food crimes and bad movies, open-mindedness.
* Don'ts: schedules, pretentious people, mosquitoes.
* Chand has a bottomless stomach.
* He likes to listen to skapop.
* Lori is the only one who knows that his mother’s favorite wooden spoon didn’t get lost. He broke it when he was 6 trying to pry open an old crate they found while the tide was out, and he and Lori buried it in the woods so no one would find out.
* Despite it being used a bit around his house, Chand isn't fluent in Hindi and hasn't really made an effort to learn the language, though he certainly knows a number of words.
* Most of Chand's extended family lives in Prince Rupert, a settlement located in the territory that was formerly British Columbia, Canada.

## Romance path

In this story, you get to choose if you want to be monogamous with Chand or in an open relationship with him. If you agree to be open, you can also romance RJ or Phoebe - please make sure to check the poly path on their pages since this section will only cover Chand's monogamous route.

Some options will only be available to you if you have chosen previous romantic scenes with Chand or if your relationship with him is good enough. Relationship choices leading to an intimate scene are marked with a 💖 symbol.

* Season 1
* Season 2

**Season 1**

**Ep 2:**

* No. Honestly, I'm scared.
* Are you alright?
* Want to come?
* Do I have a beautiful soul?
* And we could be more than friends.
* (Hug Chand goodnight.) (💎8)

**Ep 3:**

* I'll come back there.
* Pampering, you say? (💎20)

**Ep 4:**

* (Divert the conversation.)
* (Ask Chand to come.)
* (Continue down the trail.)
* 💖 I'd like that. (💎29)

**Ep 5:**

* (Stay with Chand.)
* What's on your mind?

**Ep 6:**

* We should see if the guys are interested.
* (Sit next to Chand.)
* (Stroke Chand's foot.) (💎6)
* (Visit Chand's Room.)
* I want you.
* 💖 Yes. (💎47)
* 💖 That rope in your bag... (💎47)

**Ep 9:**

* I want to be with just you.
* Would you come back to the Lodge with me?
* Chand?
* 💖 You can come in. (💎56)

**Ep 10:**

* I'll spend the night on Gitana with you. (💎23)

**Ep 11:**

* (Talk to Chand.)

**Season 2**

**Ep 1:**

* (Look for Chand.)
* 💖 (Stay up and make love.) (Intimate scene) (💎45)

**Ep 4:**

* (Encourage the crew.) [🕊️19] [❗Strong Bond: All relationships improve.]
* Whatever it is, I'm listening. (💎19) [❗Content warning: The following diamond choice involves a discussion of date rape.]

**Ep 5:**

* You won't regret it, I promise. (💎102) [+2 Morale 🕊️ later in the episode]
* (Invite Chand to the Nest.) (CG unlocked)
	+ 💖 Well, you have been a good boy. (Be Dominant - Intimate scene)

**Ep 6:**

* [❗Chand trusts you to be honest with him.]
* Fresh Breeze (💎17) OR Gale (💎33) OR Buy all outfits (💎45)
* ...a great idea! (💎67) [+3 Morale 🕊️]

## Gallery

* Sprites and items
* CG images
* Backgrounds
* Additional content
**Sprites and items**

Chand waking up (S1, Ep1)Chand's sprite (S1, Ep1)Chand without sunglasses (S1, Ep2)Chand in swimming trunks (S1, Ep6)Chand's romantic sprite (S1, Ep6)Tidier First Mate (💎27) (S2, Ep1)First Mate (💎22) (S2, Ep1)Tidier Old Threads (💎9) (S2, Ep1)Original Look (Free) (S2, Ep1)**CG images**

CG unlocked in S1, Ep1CG unlocked in S1, Ep1CG unlocked in S1, Ep1CG unlocked in S1, Ep1CG unlocked in S1, Ep4 (💎29)CG unlocked in S1, Ep4 (💎29)CG unlocked in S1, Ep4 (💎29)CG unlocked in S1, Ep4 (💎29)CG unlocked in S1, Ep4 (💎29)CG unlocked in S1, Ep4 (💎29)CG unlocked in S1, Ep4 (💎29)CG unlocked in S1, Ep4 (💎29)CG unlocked in S1, Ep 9 (💎100)CG unlocked in S1, Ep 9 (💎100)CG unlocked in S1, Ep 9 (💎100)CG unlocked in S1, Ep 9 (💎100)CG unlocked in S2, Ep5 (💎102)CG unlocked in S2, Ep5 (💎102)CG unlocked in S2, Ep5 (💎102)CG unlocked in S2, Ep5 (💎102)CG unlocked in S2, Ep6 (💎67)**Backgrounds**

Lori's and Chand's cabin on *Gitana**Gitana* with furled sails*Gitana* with open sails**Additional content**

RC official art (RC instagram, March 2022)Chand's Profile (RC Facebook, September 2023)

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=807467051380037&set=a.635421201917957