2010-01-05: Caress Of Water

Players:

Drew_icon.jpg Ethan_icon.jpg

Summary: Ethan meets another Spirit

Date: January 05, 2010

Caress of Water

Rating: R


NYC - South Sea Port

Located at the mouth of the East River is South Street Seaport. What was once a fishing port is now a mall. Outside, the docks are lined with people and street performers, from contortionists to singers, mimes, and living statues. Large boats are on display for tourists on the side of the docks. If you're lucky and are here at night, a live band might sometimes be performing.


Backpack loaded, Drew is surfing his way back to the city. He's been down south. WAY down south. However, in the cold of winter, he's wearing nothing more than a tank top and a pair of board shorts behind his backpack. Finally, he reaches the dock and hops off. The water was actually moving him along, even without a board beneath him.

Ethan was communing with the water-spirits before Drew arrived. Well, trying to, anyway. The agitated little undines and water-weirds tend to flit and slither in the currents, darting away as quickly as they come. Usually amongst the most playful of Ethan's elementals, the behavior disturbs him. Which is when, for lack of a better word, a whole wave of them appear on the horizon, traveling in the van and wake of … "Another one!" Ethan outright stares at Drew as he hops onto the dock, seeing both the physical reality and Drew as an avatar of elemental force in that weird magic sight of Ethan's. "Two elemental kings in one day. Things are getting strange."

The nifty thing about Drew and the others… they're not so much elemental kings, as the fact that they ARE the element. Period. Water is Drew. Drew is Water. There is no true separation. He stretches as he lands. "Gotta get back before K-man and the others worry." He chuckles. His voice has a hint of surfer and a drawl of hippie mixed in with it. He adjusts his backpack and stretches out, seeing the other person nearby. He just offers a friendly wave. "Sorry, dude. Didn't mean to interrupt. Just passin' on through."

Ethan nods and says, "You aren't interrupting. They actually seem to get better when you're around." He shakes his head, considering what he just said for a moment and then says, "Ah, sorry. You can't see them, probably. Earth and Fire couldn't. Water is probably not much different." A meditative pause, "But water is a scrying element. So perception might be in your portfolio."

Drew blinks. He stares for a moment before scratching his head. "Dude… are you high? And if you are, why aren't you sharing? I'm down with it. Really. I've got some of the best blend of weed in the US. My parents secret blend before they died." He says, with a firm nod. "Whole backpack of it. Not for sale. Just for me and friends." He says with a grin. "Wait. Earth and Fire. You've met Dmitri and Kaden?"

Ethan blinks at Drew and shakes his head. "I've, ah, never indulged. While I understand the efficacious nature of psychotropics and consciousness altering substances as gateways to enhanced metaphysical awareness, the appropriate time and place have never presented themselves for experimentation with said substances." He smiles, a bit ruefully and says, "Kaden? Ah. Fire. Yes, I've met them both. I'm fairly sure it was not exactly on their personal lists of amazing experiences."

"You do realize… people don't really talk like that, don't you?" Drew asks, tilting his head. He reaches up, scratching at blue hair. As he does so, his shirt raises slightly, with a bit of blue fuzz between his belly button and his shorts visible. "Yeah, Dmitri's pretty stoic about things. And Kaden… well, everything pisses Kaden off. Everything but me." He grins sheepishly.

Ethan pauses and gives Drew a closer look. After a moment that half-smile turns into a wide grin, honest and making him look much less like a guy trying to look serious and older. "Nobody takes you seriously if you tell them you're a mage and you /don't/ sound like what they expect Dr. Strange to sound like." His eyes widen slightly at that hint of blue and he clears his throat and then says, "Ah, yea. I think he was actually going to punch me." His normal voice is a lot more conversational.

"People don't take you seriously when you're trying to talk over their heads. Especially if they understand it and the most of it is just mumbo jumbo." Drew says with a wink. "If you want them to take you seriously, you prove to them who you are. You say you're a mage, you show them. I say I'm water, I show it. Or I don't. Because most people who want proof are just lame." He grins, considering. "Either that, or he was gonna try to fry you. He gets agitated really quickly. That's why I hate taking vacations. I can't keep him in check." He laughs.

Ethan sighs regretfully. "Nobody ever gets it. They just nod because they're afraid it actually means something and they want to pretend to know what it is." He shrugs, still smiling. "Welcome home, then. And, um, yes. He is a little on edge, I think. But then again, the minor elementals are too. Maybe it's related." He gives Drew another appraising glance and asks, "Ah, aren't you a little cold?"

Drew blinks. "Cold?" He tugs open the front of his shorts and looks down. From what can be seen, he's JUST wearing the board shorts. He looks back up. "Nope. I'm fine." He says with a grin. "Dude, I'm Water. Capital W. If Water can take it, I can take it." He laughs. "Minor elementals?" He asks, not having a clue about any of that. "The only other elements I know, other than the five of us, is the Water before I was Water."

Ethan blushes from the roots of his hair all the way down to what's visible of his neck. On the other hand, he does look and doesn't look away. He opens his mouth to say something, closes it, starts again and closes it again. After a moment of just staring at Drew, (albeit in the face, rather than lower), he blinks as his brain reboots and says, "Um. Yea. I've noticed that. I think I may be the only person who can see them. They are little fragments of what you are. Semi-coherent shards of element that exist only in the spirit plane and sort of conform to mythological representations of the elements. They, um, listen to me. I think because I'm the only person in a long time, if ever, who can see and talk to them. Not that they talk back. They don't seem that bright and not at all man-shaped. Like you. You guys! You three. Ah, the greater elementals." Yes, he's babbling.

Drew notes the discomfort and can't help but smile. "It's possible. Who knows. I don't understand magic. Or the whole Spirits of the Elements thing." He laughs. "I just know who I am. Whether anyone else likes it or not." He says stretching his arms up again. This time, he's obviously teasing. "You're too easy to tease." He grins, winking.

Ethan sighs and shakes his head. "Tell me about it. Why do you think I spend so much time trying to sound like Dr. Strange Jr?" After a moment he adds, "Um, Ethan. Swift. Hi." He watches the display and laughs quietly. "You're, um, not the most shy person I've ever met. Not that I'm saying that's a bad thing."

"Drew. Farris." He offers with a chuckle. "Why would I be shy? I was raised on a hippie commune by parents who were semi-nudists, even when company was around. I don't have anything to hide." He laughs, running a hand through his hair. "If it weren't for standards of decency in town, I'd be naked all the time. On my islands, I AM naked all the time. And anyone who comes with me has to deal with it. Pissed Kaden off to no EXTENT until he got used to it."

Ethan blinks. "You have islands? Wow. And I can't imagine anything that /doesn't/ piss off Kaden." He pauses a moment and then volunteers, "My parents are academics. They kind of specialized in old ritual sites and stuff. It's probably why I can see the elementals, I think. And I was raised running around the world with them until five or six years ago. Then it was off to St. Francis. Boarding school." He grimaces at that.

"Does NOT sound like fun. Stuffy classrooms. It's hard enough for me to take college classes without feeling confined." Drew chuckles and nods. "Yeah, they don't BELONG to me, but I visit them regularly. I have a few in different climates so I can grow things. That's where I keep my best stash." He winks, patting his backpack. "I just woke up one day after I died, my hair was turning blue, and I was surrounded by water." He says with a shrug.

Ethan nods at the first part. "Sucks, pretty much. And I could have gone on to college two years ago but my parents want me 'properly socialized'." He rolls his eyes. "Wait … you woke up dead? Er, woke up from being dead? Nice trick. I might have to try picking that one up."

"We all do." Drew says with a shrug. "We can't die. Not until our replacement is born and ready to take on the powers. At least, that's how it was explained to me…" He offers. "I died again during the invasion. The other world's Wolverine stabbed me through the heart. Kaden… well, I didn't see it. But Keith had never seen him so angry."

Ethan winces at 'stabbed through the heart'. "Wow." He ponders for a second and says, "At the risk of sounding stuffy again, it makes sense. I …think… I'm beginning to get it, now. Maybe. Kind of. Working theory. About you guys, I mean." He blinks as a thought hits him and then he asks, cautiously, "Actually, do /you/ know why you, um, exist? Why you're empowered?"

"No clue." Drew says, thinking about it. "Neither did Ehuang. But, according to her and Angelie, it's more significant that all of the Spirits have found each other. Ehuang only knew Angelie. Angelie had met them all. But, as far as I understand, we've always been. The elements seem to want to experience life, in order to keep themselves balanced. So, they inhabit our bodies." He says, thinking about it. "At least, that's what I've been able to understand. That, and we're progressing further and further."

Ethan considers it and nods. "Yea, that's consistent with a couple of different versions of animism. Interesting too. I just can't figure out why you can't see the lesser ones. Maybe because you're far more human." He looks over the water and says, "They're really agitated, you know. I don't know why but I keep getting the feeling that there is something …wrong." He rubs his brow and frowns faintly. "Something."

Drew pauses. Tilting his head, he moves over a little closer, moving to walk around Ethan, and if allowed, place his hands on the mage's shoulders, squeezing lightly. "I don't know. I don't feel anything, but as Ehuang told me. Trust my instincts. Don't hide who you are under layers of something facetious. I always hid my intelligence, because I didn't want to stand out." He explains, just trying to help Ethan out. "Are you hurting? I… I think I remember how to heal…"

Ethan sighs and says, "No. Not exactly. Weird, though." His heard turns to follow Drew's motion and he smiles faintly at the hands on his shoulders and says, "You know I got a tan overnight? I went to bed looking like a guy who spends all his time in the library and woke up looking like a refugee from one of your islands. Even for my life, that's weird. And I'm not quite …right… in my own skin. Hard to explain." He lets out a snort and says, "And I'm whining to a complete stranger. Sorry. I just /can't/ seem to make a good impression on one of you guys."

"What? I'm not upset or anything." Drew says with a shrug as water begins to flow out, trying to heal anything it can on Ethan. Of course, the water's caress is everywhere. Slow, and caring. "I… don't feel anything I can affect." He says gently, nodding as he does so. He moves back around, with a bit of a shrug. "I'm sorry. I wish I could. And… I DO have that affect on people. They either like me or hate me."

Ethan shivers at that touch and his breath catches a moment. He closes his eyes and tilts back his head a bit, just luxuriating in the strange embrace of Drew's element and power. At least the itching and warm feelings seem to recede for the moment. He lets out a low sigh and opens his eyes again, focusing on the elemental. "Hm. I can't imagine hating you. Then again, you might be something horrible I don't know about. Serial killer, puppy eater … on the lacrosse team."

"Please. I was born a hippie and raised a hippie. I've killed. I won't deny it. I've killed to protect those I love. But, I am simply a man. And Water." Drew says with a shrug. He smiles gently. "You seem to at least enjoy water." he chuckles, noting the reactions. "My only sport is of the water-type. Surfing."

Ethan grins faintly at Drew and says, "I enjoy most things. I just usually don't get to experience them directly. Especially with the elements." His eyes sparkle as he says, "And somehow, even without the entrance, I would have guessed surfer. The wardrobe is a bit of a give away." He stretches and says, "So, am I going to live, Dr. Drew?"

"Far as I know. I can just heal. Human body is 90% water." Drew says with a chuckle as he winks. "I hope you'll live. I think you're interesting. And cute, to boot." He says, openly with a chuckle. "But then, that's just me. I'm weird like that."

Ethan tilts his head to look at Drew and says, "You're pretty interesting as well. And beautiful." Actually, all the elemental spirits he's met thus far have been attractive. His expression goes faintly distracted as Ethan wonders if he's just reacting to their power, his wonder to what they are or the fact that two of the three are refreshingly (if embarrassingly) open about themselves, rather than engaging in adolescent chest-thumping by day and secret assignations by night. After a moment, he shrugs and decides, just this once, not to overthink things. "And healing is a useful talent. All I can do is ask the elementals to make waves and shapes and summon blasts of water and all that."

"I only discovered that when I got to meet Ehuang. She pointed it out to me. And… told me to stop being stupid. To stop letting my stupid act affect my actual self." Drew says with a chuckle. "And thank you. All five of us… well… let me just say, I enjoy being in their company." He laughs softly. He reaches out and trails a finger down Ethan's cheek with a laugh. "Maybe someday you'll learn more about how to do… interesting things."

Ethan's eyebrows lift and he throws caution to the wind for the moment and tries to catch Drew's hand as the elemental spirit removes it and place a light, almost chaste kiss on the knuckles and then let it go. For him, it's damned demonstrative but if he can put on a costume and fight otherworldly beings, he can damn well flirt with a cute guy in public. "I think you'd be surprised by what I already know."

Drew lets out a loud laugh, pleased at that. "Well, I'm sure sometime, I'll get the opportunity to try. But, for now, I'd best be getting home. Kaden worries when I'm gone too long past when I say I will. And we don't want an Angry Kaden, do we?" He winks, leaning forward to return the kiss, but on the cheek. "You're sweet. Here." He pulls a pad of paper out of his backpack and writes a phone number on it. "Call me."

Ethan grins and returns the gesture, writing down his number and email address. "No, we don't want an angry Kaden. There's no cow to blame it on if a city burns down these days." He grins at that peck on the cheek but doesn't press his luck. "And I will. Call you that is. It was …good… meeting you, Drew. Thanks."

"Oh… you don't even know what's around. During the invasion, I SWEAR I saw a vampire cow." Drew says, shaking his head. "Before I got killed anyway. And cool! I'll see you later!" He winks. Water swirls up beneath his body and lifts him up, sliding him over the ground on a very controlled, very thin waterspout.

Ethan watches Drew go and mouths the words 'vampire cow?!' After a second, his grin transforms into a smile of pure delight and a certain devil-may-care attitude. He holds out his hands to his sides, cruciform and calls the air spirits to him, right there in public. With a care-free laugh, he lifts into the air and shoots down the street above Drew momentarily and then arcing up and away into the darkness above the city lights. It's a beautiful (if cold) night for flying.

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