Radek Jeppersen (radek_janovsky) wrote in birthrightrpg, @ 2021-02-26 08:44:00 |
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Entry tags: | cj johnson, radek jeppersen, ~cian o'neill, ~steven grant |
Houseboats, sailing ships...
Who: CJ, Steve and Radek
What: An Evening of Entertainment
Where: Lake Mohave
When: Present
Ratings/Warnings: G
Having a free weekend was a luxury for Radek, and one he decided to make the most of. When CJ had let him know he’d decided to invite Steve along for the ‘display’ Radek had booked one of the 56’ houseboats with private bedrooms, and taken himself out there on the Saturday morning to familiarise himself with the vessel and how to operate it. It had been a while since he’d been on the water and didn’t want anything to go wrong.
A young Irishman greeted him and they both stared at each other for a brief moment before recognition happened. “Cian, is it?” Radek had said, head tilted a little as he looked at the taller man, noticing his green eyes.
“That’s right Dr Jeppersen,” Cian replied, holding out his hand. “That night at the Blind Eye diner, last year,” he added as he recalled the interesting and somewhat varied people who’d been gathered by James. “You were there with the young lass from the place up in Henderson, Brianna.”
Radek nodded. “Yes, yes, that’s right. And aren’t you close with young Gabriel?”
Cian huffed a laugh. “Could say that, we’re best mates.” He was remembering some of the things Gabe had said about the good doctor, and Cian gave him a half grin. “I’ve y’ number in m’ phone, in case I need y’ help sometime. I’ve heard y’ve helped out a few of m’ friends when they’ve run into trouble.” Brian had told them of the night the murderous zombie animals had rampaged through Searchlight when they’d been at the bar, the death toll never having been reported anywhere, but from what they’d been able to tell it had been three, at least. He was just glad none of them had been seriously injured or worse. It could have been pretty nasty.
Radek nodded, recalling the night he believed Cian was referring to. “Yes, there are some odd things that happen, and that was just one of them,” he mused as the two men started walking toward the dock. “I don’t know if you recall, but I started researching into the goings on around here, and in Clark County and I have found some very interesting anomalies, which would bring attention to the area, if certain authorities were to actually share information and spend the time and resources looking into it all!”
Cian nodded. He was much more a ‘here and now’ kinda guy, but appreciated the older man’s interest, remembering how he’d started talking about it back six months earlier. “Probably a few who don’t really want the authorities poking around too much,” he commented, wondering what those authorities thought when vampires went on killing sprees, or hunters for that matter, and all the ‘Missing Persons’ cases that would go unsolved.
Radek chuckled softly. “More than you think, I suspect!” By this time they’d reached the berth of the houseboat and Cian stepped on board, opening up the cabin door and walking across the cabin to the bridge. The immortal followed him onboard and looked around appreciatively at the large, well-equipped cabin. “So, what do I need to know here?” he asked, and Cian proceeded to introduce Radek to where everything was, how it all worked, and eventually, after unfastening the mooring lines, talked him through reversing the vessel out of its berth and out through the marina to the open waters of Lake Mohave.
After an hour of cruising around, learning the finer points of handling a large floating box, Cian took Radek further down the lake to where it narrowed down to the river again, introducing him to some of the better spots they could drop anchor for the night, and places to avoid. By lunch they had returned to the marina and Radek had managed to bring the vessel in without any drama, fastening both fore and aft lines, and switching off the engines.
Cian chuckled at the rather pleased expression on the immortal’s face, and indicated the marina’s cafe with a tilt of his head. “Just in time for lunch,” he said, “and Sheila will have the food basket ready for you after that.”
Radek nodded and the two headed up to the cafe, Radek returning to the boat an hour later with the freshly prepared basket of goodies for the evening and breakfast the next day.
There was a relaxing lounge mix playing softly on the car’s stereo system as CJ drove east from Searchlight to Cottonwood Cove with Steve sitting on the passenger seat. They were going to meet up with Radek who had hired a houseboat for what should be an interesting evening, considering he was going to be the one providing the entertainment with a display of some of the skills he had learnt while mastering the control of his hydrokinesis. He had gone over a kind of choreography in his head multiple times, even writing down the order in which each ‘trick’ should go, starting small and gaining in size until something big the grand finale. In the back of his mind he was grateful that the doctor would be there and hopefully would’ve brought along one of his wondrous pills, purely ‘just in case’.
While he didn’t want to admit it he was somewhat nervous, while he knew he could trust both of the men who would be present it didn’t mean that everything would go perfectly, what if Radek and Steve didn’t get along or what if he had some kind of issue and all of his planned tricks failed? It felt like final exam time all over again.
Steve tapped his foot to the soft beat of the music. Blue eyes drank in the scenery behind the glass window and he found himself more and more impressed every mile or so they drove. He was familiar with the Marina; it was challenging taking in the scenery while your attention had to be focused on the road so he was experiencing things for the first time that he had missed on other occasions. That was the funny thing about riding down the old roads, they could still surprise you.
Lily was at her grandparents house for the weekend. Lately he’d been doing more things like this. It still made him a bit nervous but his parents never complained as it was good seeing their son get out of the house and move on with his life.
There was no doubt in his mind that whatever lay ahead would be nothing less than enjoyable. A house boat seemed like a promising adventure. While he didn’t know Radek, Steve was interested in getting to know the Doctor. CJ mentioned him a few times which piqued his intrigue even more.
Steve turned in his seat, reached out to claim CJ’s free hand, and relaxed back against the seat.
Once they had arrived at the marina CJ found a place to park, he knew that unlike places in Vegas that his car would be safe there overnight, hell he could probably leave it there for weeks and no one would bother it. He could feel that sensation he got whenever he was near a body of water, like a tingling inside and a smile spread across his lips.
Reaching through the gap between the front seats he grabbed his small overnight bag from where it sat on the seat. Pretty much all it contained was two sets of clothes, toiletries and his boardshorts which would dry a lot quicker if he did mess something up. "Ready?" He asked Steve.
As the sight of water and boats came into view he felt a sense of adventure swell up inside of him. He had always loved traveling and the hopes he had a long time ago to go professional had played into a part of that. Now he was stuck in an apartment with a bad knee but at least his job was something he loved. It could have been much worse.
“Ready.” Steve’s own bag was similarly packed. He has fretted a bit about what to bring and finally settled on the basics. Lily also tucked her lucky Tonka truck in for good measure. He plucked the small duffel up from the floor where he’d set it, unbuckled himself, and got out of the car.
Instantly the scent of fresh water bathed over him. He felt a sense of calm and peace overshadow the excitement.
After one final check of the car to make sure that nothing had gotten left behind CJ walked around to the front of the car, taking Steve's hand in his as they started walking towards the wooden berths where the boats were moored.
"Radek can be a bit of an…. acquired taste sometimes but he's a good man and has helped me out quite a few times since college."
“I trust you,” Steve replied. “About Radek.” He added, looking over at CJ as they walked along the pier. “What you’ve said about him so far doesn’t lead me to believe he’s a serial murderer or anything.” The guy was a doctor, after all, and that counted for something. Plus CJ was friends enough to agree to a small vacation on the water, so he let himself be optimistic.
His fingers entwined with CJ’s. He could hear the water lapping against the wood beams of the pathway, the sound of gulls overhead, a soft knocking of hardware against a nearby mast as the vessel shifted lazily with the ebb of the water. All in all it was a perfect day.
The idea of Radek as a serial killer made CJ laugh. “Yeah he’s definitely not Harold Shipman.” Referring to the British serial killing doctor. Though in the back of his mind he did wonder how many hundreds of different types of deaths that the immortal had gone through over the centuries but it was something he kept to himself, that was Radek’s secret to share with others, not his. Tonight he’d be showing his own secret off without fear of retribution.
There were a few houseboats moored but most of them seemed empty and unused for some time, except for one right at the end. “This must be it.” He said to Steve before turning his head, “Permission to come aboard Captain.” CJ then called out.
CJ knew more about true crime than he did. Steve only nodded and made a mental note to look that up later when nobody could see. He didn’t follow stuff like that unless it was sensationalized - honestly he only knew a few famous criminals by name. “Sure, well, I’m convinced he’s nice enough to be friends with you which is enough.”
He was all for giving the benefit of the doubt.
As the boat they were occupying for a night or so came into view, Steve looked at it and couldn’t help but be impressed. He fell silent as CJ called out.
Radek had heard the two men making their way along the extended arm from the land to the berths, their conversation filtering into the cabin as sounds traveling across water tended to do. He chuckled to himself as he made his way to the rear of the cabin, and the open door onto the deck at the stern of the vessel. The securing chains were down giving them clear access.
“Ahh, there you both are!” Radek said in greeting, “please, please, come aboard! We can set sail as soon as you are ready, and make it to the berth I have found which will be excellent from which to watch the sunset! We are fortunate in that the only other vessels on the water this evening are day trippers who are returning here by then.”
It was somewhat of a relief to hear that they’d pretty much have the water to themselves once it started to get dark, even though he hoped they could find somewhere far from others there was still that nervousness that he’d get caught and that there would be repercussions for it. “That’s a relief.”
He was still holding Steve’s hand as he guided the other man onto the boot before letting it go to give Radek a friendly hug. “Radek, I’d like you to meet Steve.”
Steve offered a wave. He felt awkward but not in a bad way, just meeting someone new. “Hey. You must be Radek. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Instead of a hug, his hand would move out to shake.
He was ready to set sail anytime but was willing to be patient, too. Even his bad knee seemed agreeable after the walk. It only ached a little instead of a lot.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Steve," Radek replied, shaking Steve's hand. "Young Christopher has spoken of you and I'm glad you are able to join in on this adventure!" he continued as he moved into the cabin to show the men around.
Steve shook, nodding. “Really, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Christopher. He nearly laughed, but bit it back and smiled. “He trusts you. And you’ve been good to him.” He was glad to be there, too. Welcomed. And then, attentively, he looked at the cabin.
"I've been fortunate enough to have spent the day familiarizing myself with our vessel and the lovely Lake Mohave and, thanks to Cian, who showed me the ropes, so to speak, I believe we have a lovely place to drop anchor for the evening." As he spoke the speakers in the cabin started to play some classical music, causing Radek to look at CJ with a grin. "I hope you don't mind, I've been enjoying the soundtrack to the amazing exhibition created of the works of Vincent Van Gogh, which I found on Spotify. A very clever exhibition, and soundtrack!" the immortal effused as the strains of Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons - Summer' drifted across the cabin. "Of course if you have anything in mind, or other preferences please let me know, or better still…" He turned and crossed the cabin to where a small tablet was plugged into the ship's sound system, "you are welcome to make your own selections!"
The choice of music hadn’t gone unnoticed but it was interesting to hear the story behind the selection that would play out, and who didn’t enjoy Van Gogh’s unusual artistic style? “Music’s fine with me, though I’ll definitely put on my own playlist for this evening’s… entertainment.” It was like setting fireworks to music, although the ideas for his displays would last longer than the split second fireworks lasted. CJ was also glad that Radek had an idea of what he was doing behind the wheel of the houseboat, the only boat he had ever driven was driven by the outboard motor and was tiny in comparison. “I’ll try to keep the splashing to a minimum.” He said with a smirk, hopefully neither of them would get wet but he couldn’t guarantee it.
Steve wasn’t that educated in music. He could recognize certain pieces but as far as the culture he waned. Thankfully CJ had taught him enough to pinpoint the particular piece, though he was terrible at arias and most classical music.
Whatever lay ahead he was excited for. “Wait, you’re saying you can top this?” It was a playful challenge. Of course CJ could outdo a houseboat but the fun was there regardless.
CJ was glad to have at least educated Steve with some aspects of classical music, he was glad that Steve seemed to enjoy the music and didn’t complain when it was playing during cooking or whatever. “Oh honey, you know I will.” He joked, winking at Steve before turning his attention to Radek. “Which bedrooms are free? Don’t want to make a mess of this beautiful boat.”
Even before CJ had finished asking about the rooms Radek had turned and started heading through the door. "I have you two in here," he told them and indicated the door then pointed to another, adding, "and I am in there." He also pointed out the facilities before telling them, "I will.leave you to settle in while I cast-off and set a course for our mooring!" There was no mistaking the enjoyment in Radek’s voice as he set off, the immortal humming along to Vivaldi.
Following behind, CJ opened the door to the room Radek indicated having a quick look before the rest of the facilities were pointed out to them. He gave a nod, letting Radek go to cast off and get the houseboat away from the dock and off towards their destination. Looking at Steve he smiled and put his bag down on one of the two beds in the room. “If I had known they were this nice I would’ve hired one years ago.” He said as he sat down on the edge of the bed to remove his shoes, even though he couldn’t sit on the edge and let his feet dangle in the water it just made him feel better to be barefoot.
The room they entered was as nice as he pictured it could be on a houseboat. Steve nodded, set his things down, and then had a better look at everything. That meant letting go of CJ for a moment or two. There wasn’t missing the upbeat tone of their hosts' voice and it made Steve feel more secure about the whole endeavor. “It is really nice for a boat,” he agreed.
Beneath his feet Steve could feel the bit of sway of the water pressing against the bottom of the boat. He had never really minded the water and the gentle rocking was good for sleep.
CJ hadn’t been on a houseboat before so it was a bit of an excitement for him but he knew that he’d sleep well that night with the water only a few feet below him, plus he guessed he’d be quite tired after performing his display for the other two men.
“What do you say we go upstairs and enjoy the view? I’m interested to see where Radek has decided we’ll drop anchor tonight.” He trusted Radek’s judgement for a quiet place.
At the inquiry Steve nodded. He smiled a bit, shrugging, “I can’t decide who is more excited about the boat - him, or you.” A bit of a laugh left and Steve offered CJ a hand. Whatever was to come he trusted that the details had been considered by all involved parties.
“At least the weather is nice, right?” He figured they’d be hanging out indoors, mostly, considering it was a houseboat and all but the best part of a vessel like that was the outside. The fresh air, the smell of the water.
There was probably an equal amount of excitement about the houseboat and getting away from it all, if only for a night. He could see it radiating from Radek and it was a bit contagious but in a good way, part of CJ wondering what other kinds of excitement the immortal had in his life.
“No snow this time, I promise.” Taking Steve’s hand he led his friend out of their room, down the short hallway and out onto the small deck before letting it in order to go climb up the small ladder to the top level.
Radek loved the fly bridge, and it was one of the reasons he went for the larger of the small boats. Being outside made it feel like it was more ‘real’, plus the view from up top was much better than down in the cabin. He’d successfully maneuvered the vessel along the narrow passageway between the end of the marina’s other berths and the long segregating pier that ran out from the shore the full length of the marina. With a small flourish he turned the boat to starboard and set course south, across the expanse of Lake Mohave heading for the Colorado River and the small inlet Cian had shown him.
He turned and looked over his shoulder when he heard the other two climbing the step ladder. “Check in the cooler for drinks and some appetisers,” he told them, “I hope there is adequate, and something you like. We will cruise for perhaps one hour, to where we will anchor. Once there we can have our evening meal!”
Steve’s thought echoed Radek’s own - the view as amazing. There was something freeing about coasting along the water like a bird or a fish. While he preferred to keep both feet on the ground this was not an experience he could pass up or deny. “Wow,” Steve murmured. Then he nodded a thanks at Radek and made for the cooler to poke around.
He knew CJ wasn’t much of a drinker so he opted for a couple of bottles of water, getting another for their captain as well just in case. “This is great, thanks.”
A smile had not left CJs face as he took the offered bottle of water from Steve and sat down on one of the padded seats. While there wasn’t that salty sea brine in the air that he loved so much this was just as nice, a little cool breeze as the boat started along the journey.
“Nothing better than a nice sunny afternoon for a river cruise, I was just saying to Steve that I promise I won’t make it snow tonight, I think we’ve all had enough of it.” He said, chuckling softly. Although he knew he could probably do it if the weather conditions were right he hoped that the display would be enough entertainment for the night.
Radek nodded as he leaned back in the chair, his knee resting lightly against the wheel. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the tranquility one experienced on a calm lake of water. “While I do prefer the tang of the salt spray and air, even without it there is something different about the air when on the water,” he mused. The music from below was softly rolling out across the quiet, only the sound of the two large outboards on the back of the boat, humming quietly, and the tiny bow wave from the entirely square and flat front of the vessel providing any break to the silence that otherwise surrounded them. In the distance there were other vessels, three others of the marina’s large fleet of houseboats, and some smaller craft, making the most of the remains of the winter’s afternoon.
“Do you enjoy the aquatic environment, Steve, or do you prefer to feel the ground beneath your feet?”
To Radek, Steve turned and smiled a bit. “Definitely the ground. I like being on boats, though. I’m used to running and stuff - land is probably more my type of thing.” But that didn’t mean he opposed outright. CJ had the hydrokinetic thing and he could appreciate the complexity of that even if he couldn’t empathize.
“What about you, Radek? You seem at home here on the boat.”
Radek huffed a soft laugh. “I have spent some time on boats in my earlier years,” he replied noncommittally, looking out across the water to the shoreline, then back again. “None with motors, usually under sail,” he added, deciding to leave out the years he tended to slaves on the French galleys in the late 1700s. “But that was so long ago, which is why I came earlier to familiarise myself with this fine vessel!”
While CJ knew that Radek was talking about the old sailboats from centuries ago he didn’t say anything and only gave a tiny smile. “There’s something amazing about sailboats though, still hard to believe that the Cutty Sark cut the usual sail time between Australia and England by almost 50 days.” He looked over at Steve. “There’s a lot of shipwrecks on Fraser Island that’s not far from where I grew up, although none are nearly as beautiful anymore.” It shouldn’t come as any surprise to either man that CJ had an affinity for ocean going vessels, although he wouldn’t admit that he’d rather fly than go on a modern cruise ship.
Steve observed each man with a look of impressiveness. “I wouldn’t have the first idea as to how to sail, it’s more than people think it is.” And it was really cool. His arm would go around CJ. And then he turned to look at him, “Really? Now I’m going to have to Google that.” Maybe it was a small thing but it sounded interesting.
“There’s over twenty that are known, but there’s probably hundreds heading north into the reefs.” He had visited one of the islands on the Great Barrier Reef and had snorkelled at one the reefs before the now known bleaching had become too bad. It was one place that he thought Steve might like to see if they ever got over to Australia, if CJ ever wanted to go back. “I just hope that our captain doesn’t accidentally run us aground.” He said in Radek’s direction, though he knew that they were much safer in this boat than those aboard those old ships would’ve been.
“Ah, you see that’s why I came this morning, and had some familiarisation with the location with the good skipper, Cian. He knows these waters well, and has given me all the tips on ensuring our adventure is not marred by…boating misadventure!” Radek replied happily. With the boat cruising on a straight course on calm waters he lifted his hands from the wheel and stood, stretching lightly. With a few short steps he reached the cooler and opened it, retrieving a mixer drink of lemon, lime and bitters, plus a plate of hor d'oeuvres. He pulled the plastic cling wrap from the platter and placed it on the table, offering to the two men as he selected one of the delicacies himself and popped it in his mouth before returning to the wheel.
It was smart thinking, familiarise yourself with the vehicle and location before setting off, although there was always a thrill of the unknown even if for this adventure the destination was only unknown to the passengers and not that captain. Helping himself to a few hor d'oeuvres CJ smiled for no reason in particular, it was just such a relaxing afternoon already. "Do either of you have any requests for the show tonight? I'm still trying to figure out a finale," he asked
“Besides fireworks?” Steve offered. Maybe that was far fetched on a boat but most finales he knew consisted of fireworks. He was also teasing, of course. He sipped from his drink and shrugged. “Whatever you come up with will be fine.”
Steve oddly trusted their captain. Getting prepared seemed like the right thing to do. That was an idea he supported.
With a few hours left to go CJ was sure that he’d figure something out.
The spot that Radek had chosen to pick up a mooring for the evening was spectacular, it was near the shoreline but still had a lot of the water in front for the upcoming show and sure enough they were the only boat around. The meal that Radek had packed was delicious as well, although CJ didn’t eat too much because he was worried about getting cramps or accidentally making himself sick from overdoing it. After the meal he had changed into his boardshorts, he’d get wet and these dried a lot faster than the jeans he had been wearing. Coming back out of the room and finding the other two men, “Ready?”
The glass of XO cognac in Radek’s hand didn’t quite go with the almost school-boyish look of anticipation on the immortal’s face as he looked up from the conversation he’d been having with Steve about sport injuries. “Ready if you are!” he replied, standing. “Where would be best for us to observe?” he asked, “upstairs, or on this deck?”
“Me too,” chimed Steve. He was curious to see what CJ had in store for them. While he had been enjoying the small conversation with Radek and the drift back into his football playing years, he felt a small bubble of anticipation coupled with excitement.
Steve set his own beverage aside. Shifting focus for anything seemed wrong, even if it was something as small as a drink.
Looking at his planned spot and where they were currently CJ thought for a moment, the tablet keyed up with the piece of music he had chosen. “This deck should be fine, I’ll try my best not to send too much splashing this way.” He smiled, although the other two might get some mist but hopefully that’d be all. There’d be enough twilight left. “When I give you the signal can you press play?” he asked Radek.
CJ opened the little door, gave a little salute and a wink before he dove out into the water, swimming with ease to the shoreline about fifty yards away. Getting up on the shoreline he stood up, feet still in the water as he gave a thumbs up to Radek to press play.
After the initial plunge, Steve stepped up as close to the railing as possible to get the best view of the show. His stomach fluttered. The smile didn’t leave his lips as he watched the colors of the sky melt into the flow of the water. And at the thumbs up, Steve would turn briefly to look at Radek though his attention was back on CJ almost immediately.
The opening notes of Toccata and Fugue in D minor started and a little jets of water shot up, much like one would see at the Bellagio fountain, as the crescendo grew so did the jets for the first minute of the piece. When the slowness gave way to the faster notes the jets died down although some of the water seemed to hover, condensing into several spheres that danced around each other a few feet above the water as the music played. The spheres changed into cubes and pyramids as the music changed from one part to the next. Knowing the piece and that there was less than a minute left the shapes disappeared, the water now rising from the surface to create the intricate shape of an old sailing ship at full mast.
The final bit took the most concentration and he hoped that it wouldn’t cause him a headache later on, as the form of the ship continued to stay where it was CJ took a few steps back until solid ground was under his feet, then he stepped out onto the surface of the water, or at least that was what it would look like until he was in front of the boat. In truth he had created a thin layer of ice that was just thick enough to support his weight as he walked but it had the desired effect nonetheless. With the last note he let his concentration go, the ship and the ice under his feet disappearing at the same time as they both crashed down into the water as a finale. He surfaced a moment later laughing loudly.
Radek watched in sheer amazement, applauding excitedly as the watership receded into memory and Chris resurfaced. He now believed the stories he’d heard, that the parting of the Red Sea had been less biblical and more hydrokinesis in action. The control to form the shapes had been impressive, but the ship? The detail in the rigging, the expanse of the sails, the fluttering of the ensign at the mast’s tips was just exquisite, and he could easily understand how Chris had ended up with migraine-level headaches all those years ago.
He grabbed a towel, holding it out for Steve to take to the man now swimming back toward the boat. “Words escape me!” he said, shaking his head slowly as his smile split his face.
Steve didn’t realize he was being handed a towel until the urging to take the thing broke his awe. He blinked, grinned and accepted the fuzzy rectangle. It would be offered to CJ as the man boarded the boat. What did you even begin to say about a performance like that? It was unlike anything Steve had witnessed before — walking on water, even? A miracle, at the very least.
Mirroring Radek’s feeling, Steve’s smile grinned. “He said what I was thinking, I really can’t come up with anything to say.” Nothing cool, anyway. “Wow really doesn’t measure up.”
CJ climbed back up to the deck of the boat where the two men were standing, still in a state of awe. He shook his head at the offered towel, his eyes closing for a moment and the water that still covered his skin and hair condensed together to form little rivers that flowed down to his palms and feet before moving across the deck and back into the lake where it belonged, he might've been showing off a bit with that.
"That was fun," he chuckled, feeling a bit smug.
“Now you’re just showing off,” Steve teased. He set the towel aside since it wasn’t needed. “Impressive. Really, I —“ he began, still sort of unsure as to what really to say. “That was so cool.” Better than anything he could have done, anyway. Football was in a league of its own and even that wasn’t anything Steve could do anymore.
“As your friend so eloquently put it, that was very cool!” Radek agreed, “and the finale?” he continued, indicating the now dry person and the final trails of water disappearing over the edge, “rather amazing! The control, it is incredible, and I can understand how at times you developed those headaches.”
With that the ‘doctor’ took precedent and Radek stepped forward. He could clearly see how happy CJ was with his performance, and was pleased to see the young man showing no signs of the once debilitating migraines. “How are you feeling now? After all these years, I can only imagine you’ve learned your boundaries, as extensive as they now seem to be!”
It made CJ smile hearing the compliments from the other two, he really did enjoy doing the little show for them even though it was only a sample that went for the length of a song. The finale had been the hardest bit, keeping the form of the boat while also making himself ‘walk on water’.
“I’m pretty good, though I think I better sit down for a bit.” He took a few steps back to sit down on one of the foam seats that went around the railing of the houseboat. “It’s like I’ve gotten up too fast, but it’ll pass in a bit.” He offered the doctor a smile, he wouldn’t be needing one of those pills but CJ also knew that he’d have to be quiet for a bit now to make sure he was alright.
The amount of energy exerted made sense to Steve. Gently he set a hand on one of CJ’s elbows and guided his friend to the little seat so he could sit. “Do you need anything?” Water, or really whatever CJ thought might help the dizzy feeling pass.
And then Steve moved to sit down next to CJ, to let his leg rest. The knee ached a bit but that would subside. He was used to it by now.
Steve wondered to himself what Lily would think of that display - he knew she would love it, he could hear her giggling already in his head - and knew that soon things were going to have to come out with her. But that was for another time.
Radek was relieved the combination of the stress CJ had put on himself in preparation, and the effort required to carry out the performance was not going to push beyond the boundaries. After knowing the young man and his abilities for over fifteen years he was still amazed, and impressed, at what he could achieve, but was also very well aware of the toll it could take. Seeing him settle down, and Steve start to fuss over him, then sit beside him, he decided it was perhaps time for him to make himself scarce.
“It’s been amazing, and you know where I am if you need anything,” he told them, adding, “I will just go and finish up inside,” and left before either could say anything.
CJ let himself get guided to the seat, a hand resting on Steve's as the other man fussed over him. It was a bit strange having someone fussing over him but it wasn't entirely unwelcome. "I'll be okay, the worst should pass in a bit." Or at least that's what CJ hoped.
He opened his mouth to say something but Radek was gone, turning to Steve he smiled, "I'm glad you liked it."
Steve watched Radek leave but his focus returned to his partner within a few moments. He smiled, nodding. “I think that tops DisneyLand,” Steve mused. “It was amazing. I can’t really put words to it, but I think it was even better because it came from you. You really are something else.” He liked the idea that CJ could stir up such wonderful emotions.
Steve's words made him smile, he was just a regular person who was blessed with a unique gift and he had enjoyed showing it to the two people he knew he could trust, he was sure his grandmother would've enjoyed seeing how far he had progressed since her passing, looking down at him from whatever afterlife there was.
"I'm nothing that special," giving a small smile, his head starting to feel better. "I'm just going to grab a bottle of water, meet you back in our room?"
Steve had to disagree but now didn’t feel like the time to argue the point. He simply smiled. “You keep thinking that, I’ll prove you wrong,” he teased lightly, letting go of CJ so he could get up and go. “I’ll see you there.” And then he turned to look back at the water where all of those spectacular things happened, knowing he probably wouldn’t see that exact spot again soon.
When he was done, Steve got up slowly, worked out the sleepiness in his knee, and wandered off to meet CJ in their room.