Surfin' safari come swap meet
Who: CJ/Gabe/Bilson Where: Hotel & surf beach - California coastline What: Swap plot When: Day 1
There was something about getting away for a surfing weekend in southern California that CJ had come to enjoy. It wasn't just catching the waves and immersing himself in the salt water, Gabe was great company to be around and getting away from the desert was sometimes just what was needed.
Waking up that morning CJ felt a little off, maybe it was just his desire to get into the ocean, so he didn't think more about it as he got himself ready for the dawn swim. Stepping out of his room he looked over towards Gabe's car, expecting to see his friend standing there ready to head off to the beach but there was no one. Maybe Gabe had just slept through his alarm, or the other man was unwell. Either way CJ was a bit concerned as he walked to the door and knocked on it.
The sorcerer heard the knocking. He was sprawled out diagonally across the mattress, blankets strewn haphazardly, evidence of a particularly restless night, which was most unusual for him. Dragging his eyes open he blinked a few times to try and clear the cloudiness, a finger rubbing at the corner of one eye. After a few seconds reconnoitering the mess of bedclothes he was finally seated on the end of the mattress, looking around the room. His eyes fell on the bedside clock, the red glow of diodes telling him it was way past when he usually woke up.
’Hey, what’s the story? You still pissed at me because of that waitress?’
He waited a few seconds and sighed, calling out, “Coming!” as he headed for the door and pulled on his boardshorts as he hopped toward the door and opened it. Blinking a few time, and squinting slightly at the light he waved a hand at CJ. “Sorry, not sure what’s going on, I think someone’s still pissed off with me, be ready in a sec,” he told his surf buddy before turning and heading back into the hotel room, calling out, “Bilson, come on, I’m sorry she freaked out, not everyone likes surprises, OK?” as he grabbed his keys and some water from the fridge. Their boards and beach gear always stayed in the car overnight, and he stopped in the middle of the room, wondering where Bilson was.
“Come on, Bilson,” he said out loud while he thought, ’éla fíle mou, óra na fýgeis.’ “I think he’s still sulking about that waitress who freaked out last night,” he said to CJ as he reached the door, calling over his shoulder into the room, “if you don’t come out now you’ll spend the morning here, and the snacks are all still in the car.”
’I have been trying to wake you up for the last half hour! Are you going deaf?’
Gabe shrugged, looking at CJ and saying out loud, “looks like it’s just you and me.” Behind him on the chair next to the bed the whiskers and nose of the famil appeared, the head shaking quickly as he stood up on his back legs, looking across at the sorcerer standing silhouetted in the doorway, CJ just outside.
’That’s it, you’re going deaf, we need to talk to Ana about getting you something to fix that!’
CJ was used to the one sided conversations that his friend had with Bilson, he wouldn't admit that he often talked to his pet tortoise even though he knew he'd never get a reply. What CJ definitely hadn't expected that morning was to hear the other side of the conversation. He blinked a bit, wondering if he was just imagining Bilson all but yelling at Gabe, telling the human that he was deaf.
He could see Bilson standing up on the chair, while he didn't say it out loud he did wonder, 'why didn't you just nibble his toes?' that would've woken the sleepy man up.
The black rat blinked, and looked from Gabe to CJ and back at Gabe. The sorcerer turned and saw Bilson standing there, and stared at him, as if glaring was going to get him to move.
’Huh? Who was that?’ Bilson thought, looking from one man to the other, not recognising the ‘voice’.
OK, so he wasn't imagining it, he definitely heard a voice that time and the only source he could think of was Bilson. Though why could CJ hear him? What was going on? 'Uh, it's me. CJ. I don't know what's happening, but do you want to come to the beach?'
He turned his head to look at Gabe. "Are you feeling alright? I think Bilson is really worried about you." He didn't want to ask why or how the other man was able to talk with animals, but little did CJ know that it was the least of his worries at the moment.
Gabe’s head spun around to look at CJ when the man started talking about Bilson being worried, then looked back at his famil.
’What’s going on? Are you ghosting me?’
Bilson’s whiskers remained still as he looked at the sorcerer. Gabe knew that look, it was one of slight confusion and his famil was looking to him for reassurance, just as Gabe was looking at his famil. He slowly walked over and crouched down, eyes never leaving Bilson. He put his hand out and the rat’s nose bent to sniff, lifting again to look at Gabe, apparently confused and still silent as far as the sorcerer could tell.
’Why aren’t you hearing me? I’ve been trying to wake you for ages, what’s going on… OK, yeah, that’s good, come over here and get me… .. wait… why do you smell different? What’s that? Something’s wrong, something’s changed, you’re Gabe, but you’re not! Why can’t you hear me??’ The panic in the black rat was palpable and his eyes started darting between Gabe’s face and CJ.
CJ could hear Bilson and the panic in the little rodent's voice in his head, he didn't know what was going on either but he knew he had to be the intermediary between them. 'He can't hear you at the moment, but I can. I'll tell him for you.' He offered.
"He says he's tried to wake you up, that you smell different and something's changed." He offered, keeping his own questions silent for the moment, was this why he was feeling odd that morning? If he was hearing Bilson did that mean he had lost his hydrokinesis?
Gabe went from locking his gaze on Bilson to looking up over his shoulder at CJ. “You can hear him??” He looked from one to the other, clearly confused and beginning to get a little worried. “And he can hear you?”
CJ nodded at Gabe's confused question."I can hear him and I'm pretty sure he can hear me." 'I'm not sure what's going on, but we'll figure it out. I hope.' "Something weird is going on and I don't know what it is. I'm guessing that it's normal for you two?"
Gabe kept his hand out for Bilson, and eventually the famil gingerly stepped up and made his way up Gabe’s arm, a lot slower than normal and investigating along the way. He reached the sorcerer’s shoulder and nudged at the lobe of his ear, the whiskers ticking a little, before looking across at CJ.
’Ask him if he can sense any others in the area, he’ll know what you mean.’
CJ watched as Bilson climbed up to Gabe's shoulder, he nodded at Bilson and turned his eyes to look at Gabe. "He's asking if you can sense any others." More questions were filling his head but he knew now wasn't the time, they'd have plenty of time to figure this out.
Gabe frowned, concentration furrowing deep lines across his forehead as he tried to focus. But there was nothing, not a single sound, only the waves that could be heard through the open door. “Nothing,” he said out loud, coming to terms with the fact he needed to speak out loud to communicate with Bilson. He looked down at his hand, his thumb rotating the signet ring that carried the blue sapphire that was his talisman, the source of his strength as a sorcerer. It was still there, and still the solid blue of the ocean from which it came. A flick of his fingers, which normally would have opened a portal, resulted in nothing. He’d never told CJ who Bilson really was, and the importance of his famil, that he was more than just the average pet, and assisted Gabe with his spellcasting. It just hadn’t come up in conversation and the fellow surfer had been quite accepting of Gabe having a rat as a pet - and had told them of his turtle. But right now Gabe was a little freaked out, and figured if he could still form a portal he would explain it to CJ. That would be easier than trying to figure out why he couldn’t actually do it now.
He lifted his hand a little higher and did it again, and again there was nothing. “I’ve got nothing,” he said out loud, the ramifications starting to hit him hard as he looked at CJ. “I.. have… nothing!”
As he repeated it he flung his hands out, Bilson still on his shoulder, and suddenly a water bottle on the table exploded.
CJ knew that the world was full of strange and unique people, though he didn't know about the importance of Bilson, or even what Gabe really was; he wasn't about to judge anyone. The hand gestures were strange to him but he didn't say anything, though he did find it more than a bit interesting.
The exploding water bottle did startle him, that had only happened when he was pissed off and had let his guard down, but he hadn't done that, meaning that it must've been Gabe. "Ah… you might want to be careful, you don't want the pipes exploding." Especially in a motel room, the bill would be astronomical.
Gabe looked startled, and confused. He’d never lost his temper like that, ever, and even when he’d been training he’d not had that result of a failed spell. He lowered his hands quickly to his side.
’Hey, careful! You trying to drown me?’ Bilson was shaking his head, water droplets flying off his fur before he looked across at CJ.
</i>’What do you mean burst the water pipes? He wouldn’t do that, he’s too skilled to make mistakes like that. They don’t give a piece of the Mariner’s Stone to just anyone in the family!’</i>
CJ wasn't sure what Bilson was talking about, he had no idea what the Mariner's Stone was and wasn't about to ask, he had just seen his own frustrated self in Gabe's actions.
Stepping further into the room he shut the door behind him, not wanting anyone who might be walking by to overhear what he was about to say. "I think that we've swapped abilities." Even though he wasn't sure what Gabe's abilities were, it was the only logical explanation.
Gabe's eyes narrowed a little as he looked across at CJ, noticing him having closed the door. “What do you mean?” He knew CJ was pretty good on a wave, and in the year they’d been surfing the West coast he’d seemed to get pretty good ones regardless of the conditions, but Gabe had always just put that down to him being an Aussie and born surfing. “What abilities?”
There was more than once CJ had used his hydrokinesis to help with getting them both better waves but it was something that he kept close to his chest. He knew though that he had to tell Gabe, he had to help his friend understand and control it.
Walking over to the table he grabbed one of the other bottles that remained near the one that had exploded. He couldn't feel the water inside it, he knew that he had lost his own ability. He handed the bottle over to Gabe. "Can you feel it? Does it call to you?"
Gabe’s expression of complete puzzlement was topped by a frown at what his friend was saying as he took the bottle in his hand. Gabe had grown up on the water, his familial home was an enormous building carved into the side of a cliff in a cove, where the sounds of the waves rocked him to sleep at night and the refreshing tang of the salt air woke him each morning. Where he’d learnt to swim with dolphins as his companions and mastered sailing as a child of a family whose whole history was tightly interwoven with the world of the ocean would. He had felt the call of the ocean, of water, his whole life.
But as he took the bottle he felt the difference. Instead of it being the source of so much of the energy that went into his spellcasting, it was now calling him to play in a different way. As if asking him to show what it could do, to free it from the plastic confines and be recreated into something, something exciting and wonderful. A glance at CJ’s face told him this was what the man was meaning.
Gabe undid the cap of the bottle, looked at it, then focused. The water started to rise up out of the bottle, a steady stream that was somehow running uphill, toward the ceiling, until it was suspended as if in an invisible tube. “What???”
The exclamation saw the tube of water disintegrate and fall onto the hotel carpet, splashing and creating a large dark wet patch instead.
“You can do this??” he said, incredulously, looking from the carpet up at CJ.
It had taken CJ quite a while as a kid before he was able to do anything more than move the water around, freezing and evaporation seemed to take forever to get right. And there had been countless puddles he had to mop up during that time, his grandmother's words always in his mind 'You made the mess, you clean it up'.
There was a moment of pride as well as loss as he watched the column of water move up from the mouth of the bottle, knowing when the concentration had gone as the water splashed to the floor. "Yeah I could, just like you could talk with Bilson til this morning. Something weird is going on and it's got me stumped." He just hoped whatever it was would only be for a few days, he couldn't imagine life without that connection to his beloved water.
Gabe looked at the damp patch on the carpet, the realisation of what CJ had said settling in. “So you can hear Bilson, and I can control water,” he said, his mind whirling as his thumb slowly spun the signet ring on his finger. Clearly CJ didn’t know what Gabe was, Gabe didn’t really advertise it, for good reasons. But he looked at CJ and was concerned that CJ might accidentally do some damage because he didn’t know.
“Uh, right.” He twisted his head to look at Bilson perched on Gabe’s shoulder, his whiskers telling Gabe a lot more than normal.
Bilson looked from Gabe across to CJ. ’Oh boy, you better sit down, this is going to be interesting!’
Up until that morning CJ had just thought Gabe was an ordinary human, he treated everyone the same, as if they were just humans until he was told otherwise. He'd never advertise his own abilities to anyone he didn't trust, well except that one time with the pyrokinetic.
Even before Bilson spoke he could see the look on Gabe's face. 'Yeah, that's probably a good idea.' Walking over to the table he pulled out a chair and sat down. "Bilson reckons you've got quite the story to tell me..."
Gabe nodded, looking from Bilson to CJ then to the ring on his right hand. He walked over and Bilson was soon sitting on the table as Gabe pulled out the other chair, spun it around and straddled it, leaning his folded arms across the back of it. He took a deep breath and started.
“My family, the Santorinis, are not just big in shipping,” he started. “And this?” he held out his hand and his thumb moved the signet ring that was on his ring finger, “isn’t just a regular sapphire signet ring.” Once CJ had had a chance to look at the ring Gabe returned his hand to rest on his other elbow and lowered his chin to rest on his forearm. He wondered how much to tell CJ, having only ever told his whole story to Cian before. He went on to give CJ an outline of his family’s history. He reached the part that involved him specifically, and his generation.
“Each child born into our family is tested for their abilities with, in our particular line, things like healing, spellcasting and potions, I guess it’s what you would think of as magic, as they grow, some of us have the abilities, some don’t. My sister and I both do, and our strengths are then matched with a talisman, made by our matriarch, and our famil.” He indicated Bilson. “I spent my life learning how to control and channel energy, and can communicate with any animals in the area who are willing to help. And they usually are, thanks to Bilson.”
He stopped, rubbed at his nose with the back of his hand before adding, “or at least we used to. Oh, and portals. I used to be able to open a portal to anywhere I needed, with just…” He stopped, flicked his fingers in the unusual circular pattern he’d used earlier, again resulting in nothing. He shrugged and shook his head. “... that.”
He looked across at CJ, an idea forming in his head, but wanting to see what the other man was going to say after all that. Sorcerers, potions, portals and channelling energy was a big ask for anyone to accept, and he didn’t doubt there was potentially some resistance to accepting what Gabe had said.
CJ sat and listened to Gabe talk briefly about his family history, of generations of sorcerers who had abilities beyond his own beliefs. It was a lot to take in so he was quiet for more than a few moments, if he hadn't had his own secret it might be harder to believe.
As much as he wanted to blurt out You're a wizard, Harry he didn't, it wasn't something to joke about. Bilson though would probably hear him thinking about it. "OK. So be careful with these," he lifted up his hands for a moment, CJ didn't want to accidentally open portals or hurt someone without realizing it. It felt like he was a kid again, learning to control and harness his own abilities.
Gabe nodded and gave the other man a wry smile. “Sorry for the ramble, guess it was more like short story long,” he tried to explain. “Just wanted to be sure you understood, it isn’t something I just did, all easy and by getting some directions off a candy wrapper.” He tried to make light of it by adding, “though some of those tricks on those packs of cards? Man, they’re diabolical!”
If it hadn’t made CJ any more comfortable Gabe’s ramble had given the sorcerer a few moments to consider what he was about to suggest. “So, we’ve figured out it looks like a swap of abilities,” he started saying, hesitating briefly as he again figured out whether this was such a smart move.
’Probably not, and I’m pretty sure you’d be warning me against it.’
The silence that followed his thought was nerve-wracking in a way. He and Bilson had been linked for many years, the black rat’s life having been extended for as long as could be, to enable the pair to develop together, and nothing could tear them apart. Until now.
He looked at the signet ring, and across to CJ. “D’you want to see if this swap is real?”
CJ gave a little shrug, it was better to hear the longer version of the story and get all the information than miss something that might be of importance. In a way he was glad to hear this, knowing that Gabe had the kind of willpower to be able to control the hydrokinesis and not accidentally do something crazy with it.
"I think that your little fountain is proof enough, I may not know the spells but I don't want to risk it. Harnessing water is hard enough, I don't want to hurt myself or anyone else." He remembered the Christmas snowfall caused by a mixture of headache medication and a dream, he didn't want to think about what he might do by accident.
Gabe nodded, and twisted at the ring, removing it and looking at the stone. “To be honest, I don’t even know if this will work, because it’s not something I think anyone’s tried before.” As he was talking he was also wondering about the Mariner’s Ring, and this might prove one thing he’d often wondered about - if someone else was to try and use the ring, would it actually work? Taking a deep breath he held the ring out to CJ. “Put this on your master hand,” he said, adding, “I mean, the dominant one?”
As CJ took the ring he quickly said, “Wait! First of all, before you put it on, practice this,” Gabe said, bringing the tips of his fingers together and resting on the pad of his thumb, then moving them to create an imaginary circle before returning to the pad of his thumb again. Even without the ring on there should have been some effect visible, but nothing happened, just his fingers creating a wavy motion in the air.
The ring was placed on the table in front of him as CJ practiced the motion a few times, eyes lifting to look at Gabe to make sure he was doing it correctly and wasn't about to rip a hole in the fabric of reality or anything, maybe he had just watched Doctor Strange too many times.
He then picked up the ring, putting it onto whichever finger it would fit on his dominant hand. "Like this?"
As CJ practiced the movement Gabe nodded, his finger carrying the mark of the coven rubbing against his thumb unconsciously. As he watched CJ put the ring on he didn’t realise he was holding his breath, willing this to not go dreadfully wrong.
“Yeah, like that,” Gabe told him, then taking a step back. If CJ had inherited more than just the ability to communicate with Bilson, and probably any other species in the area, this would tell. The simple movement was the first step in learning to create a portal.
He tried the movements again, this time with the ring on. His blue eyes squinted a bit as he concentrated on doing these movements correctly, repetition was the key to getting things right, everyone made the odd mistake, even those who think they're perfect.
"It's just like learning the piano, practice till your fingers fall off." He offered both Gabe and Bilson a small smile, fingers never stopping the motions over and over again.
’Be careful what you say, the power of suggestion can be mighty!’
Gabe watched, keeping his eye on the movement and swallowed hard when he saw the small glimmer of blue appear briefly before blinking away again. “OK, that might be enough for the time being,” he said, scratching at the back of his neck as he picked up his phone and looked at the group text that had arrived.
“And we have a winner,” he said as he read the message from James, sending a quick one-liner response. He read the text out to CJ after seeing he wasn’t in the circulation. “Seems we’re not the only ones.”
CJ's hands stopped when Gabe told him to, having seen the tiny glimmer of blue as well, the ring was taken off his finger and placed back on the table, just to be on the safe side. It unnerved him slightly but he wouldn't say it out loud. ’Noted. I don't want to lose any appendages.’he said to Bilson, smiling at the rodent.
His attention turned back to Gabe and listened to the text. "Clarke County Craziness strikes again." A tiny smile. "Just stay away from codeine and thoughts of snow and we should be right."
Gabe looked at CJ a little blankly, unsure what the reference to painkillers and snow was. “Uh, not sure what that means?” he asked, a small frown on his face.
"Last Christmas a couple of inches of snow fell around Vegas and the hills. That was my fault, I was bordering on a migraine so took some pills and went to bed dreaming of Christmas movies. Sometimes it hits your subconscious without you realizing it, which was why the bottle exploded when you got annoyed." CJ explained.
“Oh! So that was you? I heard about it, was back home, but Cian talked about it. OK, handy to know!” Gabe laughed, nodding. “Lucky I don’t do headaches I guess. And be careful about watching movies about tsunamis or snow storms or… well definitely better avoid that one, what’s it called, about the two storms?”
’Perfect Storm’.
"Bilson says the movie's called 'The Perfect Storm', though I haven't seen it." A small smile directed at the rat. "One of my ancestors got blamed for floods, we have kept it a family secret since then. I think only half a dozen people in the US know, well now it's seven people and Bilson."
Gabe nodded. “Sorry to hear about the blame, history hasn't been kind to a lot of us,” he replied, his mouth twisting a little in a rueful way. “It was known widely on the island where we live, and my ancestors were respected, but then the shift in times meant we started to keep it off the radar, so to speak, and now it’s only known by the old families who’ve also always been there.” He huffed a laugh, “and now it seems that Clark County is a bit of a nexus for people like us, and it seems most of the regular population doesn’t even see what’s going on, so that’s a good thing, right?”
One generation was blamed for floods while another was respected for their water divinity and helping farmers sink bores and wells, CJ could only guess what might happen with future generations, he just hoped it was good. "We can only move forward and hope that the past doesn't repeat itself." He said. Living in peace was all they could hope for. "It's not like we're hurting anyone, regular humans are more of a worry than the rest of us, we know to keep our heads down and just go about our lives."
He nudged the half empty bottle of water towards Gabe. "Now your lesson, hold it and think cold thoughts, picture those little hydrogen and oxygen molecules slowing down and freezing together." Of course CJ was interested to see what Gabe would be able to do.
Gabe picked up the half empty bottle, tossing it in his hand as he wondered how much CJ knew of the types of people who, by accident or design, used their abilities to kill and maim others. Given the strange predicament they found themselves in right at that point in time he only hoped the swaps were not something that introduced a whole new level of danger to those who normally possessed those abilities and were now left vulnerable. He’d check the text group in a minute to see if the hunters were OK.
“Molecules, right,” he said, bringing his attention in tight and onto the bottle in his hand. Or more to the point, to the water inside it. The plastic sat in his palm, fingers lightly bent to prevent it rolling, and the water moved and slowly settled in the bottle. He felt different from what normally happened for him when he was preparing a spell or concentrating on the skies and land around him, reaching out for contact and drawing from the energy sources available. Instead it was purely coming from within, and silently, with no chatter, no communication, no ‘birds eyeview’ or any other feedback. It was completely quiet and he frowned with concentration, thinking it must be like communing with the ocean, only… not.
Nothing happened, much to his confusion. His eyes darted down to where the dark patch was still reminding him of what had transpired earlier. “Right… molecules,” he repeated, and tried again, but this time instead of thinking of the molecules in a scientific model, he let himself think of them as individual droplets, all spinning around each other, as if dancing, and that dance slowing down, the dancers getting closer and closer, linking arms, joining up while still moving, but now moving as one mass.
CJ watched Gabe's concentration, it had taken him ages to figure out how to freeze water, but then again he was a kid at the time and everything seems to take forever when you were younger. But he had to remember that he wasn't talking to a complete novice, the other man was a sorcerer who could do God only knows what. Freezing water would be a walk in the park.
His eyes dropped to the bottle, seeing the liquid solidifying into a mass of ice. "Quick learner." CJ joked, flashing a small smirk at his friend. "I'm sure you're not about to flood anything just by sneezing." That wouldn't be fun.
Gabe’s face screwed up a little at that image as he nodded. He heard the notifications going off on his phone from what he imagined was the group text. “Sounds like a few others are involved in whatever this is,” he said as he picked up his phone and saw the string of messages, adding his own, quickly before holding it out to CJ. “This is a group of, well, like-minded individuals, mostly, most of whom have abilities of one type or another.”
"Suppose it's good news that it's not just us that this is happening to." CJ replied, looking quickly at the texts. It also didn't surprise him that there was a group of 'unique' people who kept in contact with each other, though why it took almost twenty years for him to find it out he didn't know, probably because he just tried to keep himself to himself and kept quiet about what he was. He did see Radek and Brian's names in there and hoped that they were both alright. "Could be worse, can you imagine if it happened to regular humans? Total chaos." Like some kind of weird sci-fi book.
Gabe grinned. “Well so far, from what I can see it’s just people like us who are being affected. Can’t imagine what a regular human might think, or even do if they woke up with abilities they’d never known existed.” He shook his head at the thought. “Imagine if some random person was able to hear Bilson?” and was quietly glad it was someone like CJ who’d come up in this crazy lottery.
It was something that CJ didn't want to think of either, at least Gabe had the mental fortitude to be able to control the hydrokinesis and they were there together and it hadn't swapped with someone back in Vegas, though Lake Mead could use the rainfall. "I'm sure he'd be telling them off all the same." He extended a hand out towards the rat, wondering what he smelt like, if that magic in his body had a smell to them.
“Yeah, he would,” Gabe grinned, looking across at Bilson who was looking between the two of them.
Bilson had sat up, listening in to what CJ was thinking the whole time.
’I would if they deserved it, magic has its own smell to our noses, and you have it.’ With that he reached up with his pink feet and once able to get purchase, started up CJ’s arm. ’And he’s going to call me a traitor, just tell him that until he doesn’t need a translator I’m going with the guy who can hear me. For all our sakes!’
Gabe’s mouth dropped and he shook his head. “Traitor!”
CJ had to stop himself from laughing when Gabe called Bilson a traitor for climbing up onto his shoulder. "Oh don't get jealous, he's only interested in me because I'm the one who can hear him, you're still his favorite." He turned his head and looked at Bilson. 'A traitor would play it up, or bite him. I know you wouldn't do either of those things.' A tiny little head scratch.
Gabe gave a mock roll of his eyes, though he silently admitted to himself it did feel really strange seeing Bilson on someone else’s shoulder, and not be able to communicate with him. They’d been together since Gabe turned 14, his famil’s longevity a courtesy of the Santorini matriarch's powers. The only person who knew the secret was the one to be her successor.
“So, seeing we’re here, do we grab a quick surf if it’s any good, so you can find out what the chatter is out beyond the breakers?” he suggested, glancing at his phone, “and then head back? Seems a shame to have come all this way… ” He wanted to get back to talk with James and see what needed to be done to reverse what had happened, but the call of the ocean was even louder now, his eyes darting toward the door then back to CJ, starting to get an idea of what the other guy experienced.
"Definitely. Don't want to waste the drive." Hydrokinesis or not, CJ was still itching to go surfing, he mightn't be able to do anything about the waves but he was sure it'd make him feel better before they headed east again to see if someone had figured out what was going on. Getting up from his seat he put a hand down, giving Bilson a way down, if the little rat felt like it. "Let's see if it's any good."
After parking the car and walking down to the waterline with their boards Gabe looked at CJ. “I can really get what you’re talking about now, the water calling you. Pretty powerful stuff.” He looked out at the water with a new appreciation for something he thought he knew better than most. But the additional senses of the hydrokinetic added a whole new dimension, and Gabe felt different as he looked across the surface of the water, seeing the shape of the waves through a different set of eyes, hearing the soft hiss as they spent themselves against the sandy shore. While his magic was deeply rooted in the power of the ocean, he’d never experienced it like this before.
“C’mon, I can see some of our friends out back, time for you to meet them!” he said, spying the playful shadows in the face of the waves as they developed. He headed into the water and was soon paddling out through the incoming set.
There was a tiny tinge of sadness when they got to the beach, it was so strange coming here and not feeling anything. CJ knew that it would be like for Gabe, like that salt water was part of him and called like a siren song. He could hear the chatter in his mind when Gabe mentioned 'our friends', taking a moment to realize it was the pod of dolphins further out past the waves.
Following his friend out into the ocean CJ could hear the voices getting louder, the aquatic mammals chatting amongst themselves. Once further out past the breakers CJ turned towards Gabe. "You hear this all the time?"
The ‘sorcerer’ nodded, sitting up on his board and looking around as he wiped the water from his eyes, noticing how different it was. Gone was the presence of the marine life, the sense of being amongst others, instead it felt like it was just the two of them, floating on their boards out behind the break. He started to understand what some of the other surfers talked about being out there alone. He’d never felt it, that absence of all other living things, other than surfers who were almost absorbed into the silence as they experienced the same sensation. His eyes were telling him there was a pod of dolphins less than twenty metres away, but the lack of being able to even feel their presence, even when it was silent, was almost unnerving, and he imagined it must be like losing your hearing. He shook his head and looked at CJ.
“Can you sense them?” he asked, wondering what the other man was making of the feeling, and if it was the same as what Gabe knew.
CJ loved it when he was out in the ocean, or any water for that matter. While he couldn't sense the animals in the way Gabe did, if he concentrated enough he could feel some kind of presence cutting through the water, one was never by themselves no matter how quiet things might appear. He closed his eyes for a moment, knowing that Gabe would alert him if there were any rogue waves or whatever else that might threaten them, he could hear the dolphins chattering to each other but he let himself relax and then focused a bit more on what he was feeling.
Closing his eyes he swore, even if just for a split second, that he was underwater and swimming with the dolphins but he knew he was still on his board. "I can see them, playing under the waves." He opened his eyes and it disappeared. "Is it ever quiet in your head?"
Gabe chuckled softly as he glanced at CJ then out at the pod. “Yeah, you learn to tune out, I usually just feel their presence, and the rest just happens in the background, unless of course they want your attention. Then it can get a bit hectic.” As they talked the two sat there, the calm of the water between sets shifting beneath them. “That time, the first weekend? When I found old mate out the back? That was them. They took me to him, then gave us an express ride back in through the breakers.”
"I must confess I used my ability to save him, I could feel the water in his lungs so I gathered it together and pulled it back up to his throat, that's why it was so easy to revive him." It did feel good to finally get that secret out to someone who wasn't Radek.
“So it was you!” Gabe replied. “I thought there was something about that day, but then figured that it was just that guy being weird, the way he was so surprised. Like he really thought he was a goner.” He shook his head, grinning. “Pretty cool stuff man, you saved that guy’s life.”
"I have been practicing more, trying different things instead of the usual ice, water, and vapor. I've been able to get a small amount of water to boil without heat by exciting the molecules. It's not as easy as it sounds but it is quite a step for me."
“So you mean no more cold espressos? That is worth more than you can imagine!” Gabe laughed, “now you’ve saved my life! Hate it when the coffee gets cold.”
"It's easier to keep iced coffees cold, but I suppose it's possible, everything is made from water in one way or another." CJ gave a little smile. He hadn't tried to warm tea or coffee as yet, if he got his abilities back it was something that he'd definitely try. "You could probably think up some things that I've never thought of before, fresh set of eyes and all that." It'd be interesting to see what kind of new and interesting ideas for hydrokinesis that Gabe could come up with.
Gabe shook his head and looked around at the ocean. “Maybe, or maybe I end up sending a tsunami down the coast just trying to get us some waves!” he grinned. “So what’s the go with getting us a decent set? Given the situation we should probably head back soon, there’s some work to do to figure out how we reverse this,” he said, squinting as he glanced up to check the location of the sun above the horizon.
The last thing anyone needed was a tsunami, though CJ had been manipulating waves since he was a teenager that he couldn't really remember the finer details on doing it, let alone talking someone through it. "Oh jeez, maybe think of your perfect wave? I think we should give ourselves half an hour out here before we head back. It's a shame, I had been looking forward to a weekend of sun and surf." But not everything in life went to plan.
Gabe nodded, wondering if his chances of triggering a tsunami were in fact at all high, given the situation. With that thought in mind he tried to think of what a good wave looked like, and was quick to push those images of Pipeline away, especially as it was looking like some locals were making their way out to join in.
“OK, good wave, not Pipeline, just a nice set…” he muttered to himself, wondering, not for the first time in his life, if anyone had ever successfully put together a spell to create certain surf conditions. As the regular set moved beneath them he turned to look a little further out, setting his attention on a particular rise in the water and telling CJ, “hold on buddy, let’s just hope I don’t screw this up!”
The times when CJ helped with the waves he didn't make them too big, he never wanted it to seem obvious because those kinds of big waves were not known in this area, just big enough to make it fun. By the time Gabe called out CJ was already on his belly, ready to start paddling when the set arrived, he'd let Gabe take the first wave. "You'll be fine."
“Love the faith!” Gabe laughed as he started paddling, turning his head to look along the wave as he judged the lift and feel of the board beneath him. But as he did he realised it wasn’t the board he was feeling, it was the water beneath it, and he let out a laugh as it grew, the crest rising and the face increasing. Jumping to his feet he crouched, and as the lip started to curl he realised the image in his head had grown and he needed to stop that. “Oh no… no, no… !” He felt the speed of his board pick up as the wave seemed to continue to grow, his body still crouched as the board skated faster across the face. “Down boy, down, just… “ As the wave started to subside he felt another wave, one of relief, wash over him and slowly stood up as it dropped away and he rode the board up over the now diminished lip and let himself fall into the water. Again he felt the difference, the bubbles in the foam seeming to be laughing as they rose and enveloped him and his board. After a few moments he broke the surface again, drew his board to him and turned to look for CJ.
CJ meanwhile was laughing, having watched it from behind the wave, seeing it increase in size then slowly subside. It reminded him of his own first attempts. But Gabe hadn't caused any massive rogue waves or ones that seemed out of place in this area. He waited for the next set and was riding in, not as gracefully as he usually was, it felt strange because of his severed connection with the water, but he made it to shore nonetheless. When he found Gabe he was still smiling. "If we weren't in a rush I'd say keep practicing, but Vegas strangeness awaits. How about a couple more waves before we call it a day?"
“Yeah,” Gabe grinned, torn between wanting to sort out what had happened, and the call of the water. “A few more can’t hurt!” he declared and slinging his board under his arm, headed back out for the next ride.