InsaneJournal

Who: Hope Adiyodi-Wicker and Koll Thorson
What: Storm and Sand
When: Saturday, June 18, 2024 | Evening
Where: The Station, and then a beach somewhere warm
Warning/Status: Low, just some feelings
Status: Completed via Gdoc


Torrential rain battered the courtyard, soaking her within a moment of her arrival. Lightning flashed, blinding her, and the thunder a split second later was deafening.

Hope shoved the sopping hair back from her face and kept her hand up to try to see through the monsoon.

As soon as the government-types had let her go, she hadn't bothered with her network device—blah blah blah, portal, blah blah blah, in the past. She'd just smiled, wiggled her fingers at her intake person, and then traveled home. Barely a thought had put her there; she knew the way in her sleep—had traveled there in her sleep when she'd gotten homesick.

But that was a long time ago.

Or would be in the future.

She was a literal baby now. Well, not her-her. The here-her. Blah, this was complicated, and the here was currently very wet and very stormy.

And her-her was getting increasingly grouchy. San Francisco wasn't known for squalls like this, but she wasn't unfamiliar with them. Having a brother who could cause them earned a lot of XP in Meteorology. As soon as the thought dawned, Hope had to wonder if it was better to wish her brother was here, or to spare him from this Freaky Friday mess.

Koll was Stressed with a capital S. And when he was this stressed, his powers became, well, unpredictable wasn't the right word. Because it was easy to predict what would happen. He brought himself out to the courtyard to try and get a handle on things, needing to be in the open air but not out there where he'd drag the storm along.

Focus. Calm. Breathe.

He closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing. The brief storm calmed with him, just a little, and he at least had the hope that he could get it under control. The storm had begun as soon as he had left the intake person behind, dazed and feeling the rising panic. 2024? This was not good at all, Koll thought. And that was what had caused the panic to crash like a wave breaking upon the shore. Now, he just needed to get control. For one, flooding the first level would not make a great first-impression.

And then--

"Hope?" Koll asked, dumbstruck. Lightning flickered in the sky, almost uncertainly.

Every once in a while, Hope really hated being right.

At first, she was convinced she was imagining her brother's voice, but no. She blinked, and his shocked face was an afterimage stuck to the back of her eyelid. It wasn't unreasonable to expect it to fade, to think she'd wished a thing too hard, so there was no way for it to be true.

But there he was, in all his rain-soaked, godly glory.

The wind buffeted her a little, but nothing short of a category five hurricane would've kept her from her baby brother. She staggered toward him and grabbed his shoulders. Always an absurd reach, but Hope was used to it. "Hey, yeah, it's me. I'm here. Breathe with me—can you do that? Breathe, and then we'll go somewhere quiet with a lot of sun."

His arms wrapped around his sister and he gave a nod, refocusing on just breathing. They were in the past but there was a they in this chaos and that helped. The rain began to lessen and the thunder turned to quiet grumbles. "Sorry," Koll said. He had tried to get everything under control quickly and maybe he hadn't succeeded but it didn't feel like there was going to be any lasting damage?

Koll let out a loud exhale and turned his face up toward the sky. He could do this. And then, finally: it stopped. "I'm glad you're here," he said, tipping his chin down again so he could look at Hope. His smile wasn't quite right and he still looked shaken but he had it under control again. "I'm sorry that you're here but I am glad you're here."

"Keep your sorry." A familiar refrain between the two of them, just like the soothing movement of her hands over his back while he held her. She could remember when it was a much shorter path. She also remembered his tantrums very clearly. This was nothing. It could have been something, and even this much was evidence of Koll's emotional state. Hope wasn't sure what she disliked more: said emotional state or the circumstances that created it.

Well, there was nothing to be done about the latter, if the terse official in that stuffy office was to be believed.

Her understanding smile tilted at one side. Even though the rain stopped, water was still dripping down her spine and disappearing to places she'd rather not think about. No, instead she brought her hand around to the side of his face and pressed her thumb into the corner of his mouth. If it didn't encourage a smile, then maybe she could annoy him out of this bubble of sentimentality. "I mean, sure, yeah, same. This would suck without you, but can we focus on the sandy beach of your choice? We deserve it before we try tracking down our mom and your dad."

It worked: Koll smiled. It was something fond and loving because he adored his sister like she was the brightest star in any sky. "A beach sounds like the best idea. Let's go to Hawaii. Oahu," he said. Best surfing, of course. Not that he had any gear or a wetsuit for surfing but they could at least lay out on the sand and soak up the heat and the sun. And Koll had a favorite spot there.

He was still dripping water and that was definitely not how he wanted to meet his parents in the past. "I'll buy you a shave ice," Koll added as though he needed to sweeten the deal.

Mid-list, got it. There'd be no serious playing in the waves this trip, but that suited Hope just fine. She smiled at her brother and nodded her understanding. At this point in their lives, it was all the acknowledgement she needed. "Rainbow slush, or you're cut off for a month."

She didn't mean it. Her threats were idle, but only when it came to Koll.

Her hand fell to his shoulder and she gave it a squeeze before picturing the familiar spot in her mind. The tattoos between her knuckles and down her fingers tingled faintly—a gift she gave herself as soon as she turned eighteen. Without them, she couldn't take anyone with her, and that was unacceptable. And would've made having the ability to Travel way less fun.

One second they were standing in the dripping courtyard, the next they were surrounded by bright sand, swaying palms, blue waves, and a sky that seemed to go on forever. Hope shot her brother a playfully sardonic look. "Happy now?"

"The happiest," Koll said. There was a beat of silence and then he was grabbing Hope and making a beeline for the water. Why trade one type of water for the other, one might ask? Because the second form involved sibling-shaped mischief and was warmer in the end. Koll wasn't entirely brainless though: "Empty your pockets!" he declared. He had been empty-handed in the courtyard where she'd found him but he knew where to go back for his things.

And if she didn't listen, well, that was her own fault. Because Koll threw his sister out ahead of him into where he knew the water would be just deep enough to catch her without injury along the bottom. He dove in a flat-dive to follow along and meet up once more. His earlier stress wasn't gone but the expression on his face was much more a familiar sort of mischief at least.

At least he gave her a warning this time, but really just enough to squeal in a very dignified way and make a mad scramble to drop her net device and phone. Sure, they were waterproof, but it was the principle of the thing.

And then she was airborne.

And then she was wet.

Again.

More wet? Either way, she'd traded fresh for salt and came up both sputtering and eager to find a way to turn the tables on her excitable brother. Granted, he was roughly the size of a mountain, so it usually meant resorting to dirty tricks, but she tried to keep the magic at a minimum. It was hardly fair. She splashed him, instead, and stuck her tongue out—which was instantly regretted, since all she tasted was sea water. "You're buying me the biggest shaved ice ever, you nutbar."

Koll laughed, a loud and booming sort of sound that was so much like his father's laugh. "I hope they accept wet cash," he said, grinning. Where his wallet had not been completely submerged in water before, now it was entirely sodden. There was a difference between standing in a downpour and being in the ocean. He should have been comfortable in either but when one was due to his loss of control and stress... well, standing in the rain wasn't calming.

"We can go dry out on the beach and I promise I won't throw you back in. At least not today," Koll said, grinning. He didn't mind the salt water in the least.

Hope rolled her eyes and splashed him again for good measure. "We're on the beach. I'm sure they do." The fact was she was in no hurry to get out of the warmer water. That came more from habit than Koll's instinct, probably. She didn't spend that much time at the beach, not nearly as much as her brother, but it really was soothing like this. Treading water and letting the waves gently rock her brought clarity to her own thoughts. Not that it helped. A storm cloud of her own crossed her face, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. "Promises, promises."

Ember's balls, she really had to get out of her own head before it got bad.

"It's going to be weird to see them, y'know? Our parents. Uncle Quentin." She sighed and swam close enough to nudge her shoulder into his upper arm. "I don't know how to feel about it, if I'm being honest about anything."

He knew that expression. Koll gave a small nod. "I'm not so worried about Father," he said softly. Thor was a literal god and practically ageless. But seeing his mother so young? The other adults in their lives? "At least Mother knows you exist," he pointed out gently. "That will be a little less of a surprise."

Koll's smile turned tight; he didn't mean to make light of her own stress but if she could throw logic at him then he was allowed to do the same. "I'm not sure we can hide on beaches the whole time we're here. We don't even know how long we're stuck in the past."

In for a penny, in for a pound. At this point, saturation was at 100%, so it wasn't any huge thing to hug her brother again and grumble into his shoulder, "How dare you throw logic in my face. That's just rude."

Naturally, she didn't mean it. He would know that. Her expression turned devilish in the split second an opportunity for reprisal presented itself. Sure, her specialty was magic, but it's not like she never learned anything about fighting. Hope hooked her leg around Koll's knees and shoved him back hard on the back of the latest wave.

By the time he'd resurfaced, she'd already slogged most the way back to the beach, only pausing to toss over her shoulder, "Probably not, but it might be fun to try. And at least we have the option if thing gets to be too much."

Koll opened his mouth to retort and found himself under water instead. He should have known. It was only fair, really, and when he came up sputtering he wasn't even the least bit mad. It wasn't like he hadn't thrown her into the ocean mere minutes prior.

He wiped a hand over his face and back over his hair as he began to follow Hope. "Well you have the option, as long as you don't abandon me," Koll pointed out. Jeans and salt water weren't a great mix and he was grateful there weren't a ton of locals around in that particular spot. He suspected they'd have a lot of judgments about the haole on their beach. Then again, he was a large and imposing form once he was out of the water and walking on sand. The T-shirt was a struggle to get off but he managed it and started to wring it out. "What do you want to do?" Koll asked even as he spread the wet shirt out on the sand so she had a better place to sit. He could go shirtless and donate it to the cause of his sister not getting sand all over her backside when she sat or laid down.

"Watch the sunset and forget about real life for a little while longer?" Hope dropped gratefully on her brother's offering. There were a couple of spells she could have used: to dry their clothes, to summon beach towels, to do about a dozen other helpful, but inconsequential things that she didn't dare, because she was years in the past. The differences in circumstances were minute for the most part, but innumerable. Until she figured them out, the only magic she could trust was her innate Traveling ability.

"Kidding, mostly." She rolled her head over to look at Koll. "How about we wait until we're only slightly damp, and then head back. I don't want to ambush them or anything by just showing up, so maybe we can do a network post first and then meet up in person. Together. A united front."

"United front," Koll echoed and sat down, knees crooked so he could rest his arms on them and look out at the ocean. "Network post sounds good, though. It's going to be really awkward if they aren't even together yet. I wish I'd paid more attention to the stories about how they met, how they got together, but that's always sort of been in the realm of not wanting to know."

He turned his head and flashed a grin at her. "But that sounds like a plan. Want to wait here and I'll go find some shave ice and bring it back?" He toed his sneakers off so they could have a chance at drying and he wiggled bare toes into the sand. He wasn't big on socks as a general rule.

Her jacket came off along with her shoes and socks, and she stretched her legs out as she kept a surreptitious eye on her brother. He didn't look anywhere near storm mode anymore, which was great, but he didn't really exude perfect zen either. The sun kicked up a sparkle of glittering gold on the water, distracting her for a moment. Rather than get caught up in the beauty of it all, Hope just sighed. "I get it. I had a hard enough time keeping Mom and Uncle Q's stories straight. Half the time I was convinced they were just making shit up. It all sounded like something straight out of twisted adult fairy tale. Which I guess is exactly what it was. I don't really blame you for blocking some of it out."

Mouth quirking in response, she leaned in and justled his arm with her shoulder again. "Rainbow or bust, buster. Meanwhile, I'll sit here and try to compose something that's not just: 'Dear Mom and one of our's Dad, Hi, we exist. Surprise! Love, your kids'."

He wasn't calm but it was a little more storm way out on the water, ready and waiting, than being something ready to break over their heads again. "They have some of the best stories, though," Koll admitted. "It's just easy to ignore the lovey-dovey bits."

But having a Brotherly Activity to do, especially since he owed it to her, Koll smiled and leaned back into the shoulder-jostle. "I'll bring back rainbow. You figure out how we approach them. But I think maybe filter something to them," he said as he got to his feet. Koll walked away to collect the electronic devices they'd abandoned on the way into the water and brought hers back. "Knowing the trolls we know, there's probably chaos happening on the network." His smile was fond and amused--up until it faltered. "I should probably apologize for the storm."

"Hey"—she caught his hand before he could go, and peered up at him, even though most of his face was shadowed by the sunlight making a halo around him—"give me a chance to do some net post recon before you mea culpa yourself into a sad guy-Koll. I'll let you know how much groveling will be appropriate. You and me, all right? Any wave in the world."

Koll bent (and it was quite the crouch in wet denim) and kissed the top of his sister's head. "Any wave in the world," he said with a smile. "If someone gives you trouble, get out of here and message me. But otherwise soak up the sun and dry off. Best sister." And with that, he straightened again and set off. Hope had her shit together, at least, he could feel guilty about that later. After he got her the rainbow shave ice she had so rightfully earned.