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anxiouslyfred · 3 years

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Painted Diving Gear

Summary: Remus is a diver and teaches it to tourists so of course occasionally some of the gear gets lost. That why his soulmate, genius that they must be, has learnt how to return the gear, designs painted onto the edge to claim it before losing them once more.

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The was a familiar oxygen tank sat in the middle of Remus's flat that morning.

Honestly it wouldn't be anything worth commenting on usually, except this particular tank had been lost a month prior, left behind on a hired van by accident. The company had claimed they couldn't locate it to return the item and from the painting on its edge that made a lot more sense now.

His soulmate must have received the gas tank at some point between him realising it was missing and contacting the company. Remus had been ecstatic the first time something he lost turned up back in his flat, just with a painting added onto the edge. It seemed the artwork was enough to swap ownership between them so far as whatever the magic moving objects between soulmates was concerned.

He didn't have much time to delay though, only just having gotten up in time to head to work. The tank was easily thrown into his trunk to take in with him and some ready roll icing was grabbed to eat as breakfast on the way in. Remus might not care for having breakfast but knew better than to dive with no energy, especially in the middle of the summer vacation period.

The Diving company was already open when he arrived, another of the team having opened up and started taking bookings for the day. The oxygen tank got a raised eyebrow when Remus brought it in.

“That soulmate of yours probably gets worried sick every time you loose one of those.” Janus offered but waved to the edge of the room.

They'd made something of a display of the equipment since it started coming back. Neither of them were sure what type of paint was used on the equipment or whether it was safe to be used in the oceans or not so erred on the side of caution. The last thing Remus wanted to do was accidentally harm the creatures and corals he dived down to see and show to tourists in small groups so unfortunately the scuba gear that got painted on and returned was just left to one side for the moment.

So far they had 4 oxygen tanks, various scuba masks and a few pairs of flippers all painted by whomever Remus's soulmate might be. The designs had started off as somewhat plain, simple swirls and patterns done over the front of them. Gradually, with each item returned the images grew more complex, from featuring ocean life, to spiders, until today's intricate design. The was an octopus wrapped around a pile of knives, most of which Remus could recognise as ones he'd lost throughout his life. It was almost as though his soulmate was attempting to paint an image of who they thought he was, and that idea thrilled him.

All Remus could tell about his soulmate was that they were a freaking genius who figured out how to return lost items when nobody was known to have managed that ever before.

“Nah, they don't. They wouldn't try returning to someone they think could have died losing an item.” Remus brushed the comment away, making sure the latest one was stood clear to see for any customers that walked in.

Janus was finally able to properly see the painting now it was down, smirking at the image. “And it seems like they even have a collection of knives to challenge your own. Must be a perfect match.”

“Once again wrong. That's my collection of knives. They just get to look after it for a while and it's even better than some of those rusting at the bottom of the ocean too.” Remus corrected, snatching their bookings diary from the counter to check if they'd be taking walk in customers today or if something particular needed setting up on the boat.

“Of course you lose more knives than you manage to keep, how could I be so misguided?” The sarcasm rolled thickly through the reply. “Does that mean they presume you are an octopus rather than a human then?”

Remus cackled, thrilled at the suggestion. “I wish I was. Those lovely babies are so brilliant, shame today's a boring day so I probably won't get to see any.”

“You never know, the next walk in could be an avid diver needing to rent equipment and get shown the most interesting places to dive.” Janus suggested, a wobble of his head betraying how outlandish he thought the idea was.

Remus just snickered, heading through to where the boat was moored so he could check everything was prepped for use.

The walk-in customer they did have unfortunately wasn't an avid diver when Janus called him back through to the shop, but a tourist hoping to learn something about diving because of something to do with their soulmate. The reason had come out in a mumble just as Remus got through so he didn't quite catch it.

“I can do that. There's some shallows in a quiet cove just around the coast I can teach you in. Come through and I'll get you set up with the gear in your size before we head out.” Remus had already walked through into the other room, expecting the man to finish staring at their displays and follow.

A few minutes later he was still alone and Janus poked his head through the door. “Your display of returned items seems to have broken our customer. Come and fix it!” With the order given he'd returned back to the counter.

Once Remus was back in the front of the shop the man was still gaping at the items, reaching out to follow the lines of the knives on the one brought in today. “Yeah, that's some pretty awesome artwork. My soulmate does it so they can return them to me, but since I don't know what paint was used we've been avoiding using them where possible.” He commented, resting his head on top of the customers trying to get their attention.

“I'd be a fucking idiot if I figured out how to return them and didn't also do research on what paints are used on diving equipment, or can remain in tact under the pressure and salt water of the ocean.” Came a snapped back reply. “Are you seriously trying to tell me that the first time I try to learn something about my soulmate I end up in your freaking shop?”

Remus stepped back just enough the guy could turn around, tilting his head. “Well if you're the one who painted them, I guess I am. Let's get you some permanent gear so I can properly teach you how to dive over the rest of the week, or however long you're in the area.”

“Well if this gets mentioned to the friends that dragged me on this holiday that might just be permanently. What's your name anyway, or should I just call you Knifapus?” The man asked, looking Remus up and down.

There was a snicker from the counter but Remus ignored it, shimmying a little. “You can call me anything you like, Spidat, but my name is Remus.” A number of the items his soulmate had actually lost had spiders and bats on them and most were dark despite the fluffy nature a lot of them shared; the nickname had come from a year where any words Remus could combine would be mixed.

“Let's stick with Virgil or something that uses real words, shall we? Are you serious about getting me permanent diving gear, cause I don't think I can afford that?” Virgil corrected, glancing over at one of the displays of the gear they had for sale.

“Soulmate privileges.” Janus called over. “It can come out of the company funds, but only if you actually are going to use it for more than a couple of days.”

There had never been a policy like that in the company before and Janus had actually insisted to his soulmate he couldn't give them a discount for the gear just to enable them dragging him out on the sea. Remus wasn't going to argue though. Diving had always been a way for him to share his darker thoughts without people giving him concerned looks, but it had been Janus's escape to isolate and calm down for years.

“And here, I was just hoping one of those soulmate privileges would be getting to use the equipment I so painstakingly returned.” Virgil's whine was exaggerated, but the twist of his lips and quirked eyebrows showed how entertained he was by the idea. “Honestly though, I have no clue if I'm going to join you diving much. Isn't it terrifying to get that deep underwater with no way to breathe if the oxygen tank comes loose or something?”

“I taunt death daily and he's yet to do more than wave while clearing up the devastation humanity is sending to the oceans.” Remus insisted, excited to share the experience.

Virgil groaned. “Damnit, am I going to have to play, 'Let's not die today' with you too? It's bad enough with friends running into busy roads because there's a dog on the other side.”

“You're the one that came looking for him, otherwise I'd sympathise.” Janus snickered.

“Let's try a small dive today and see if you could work up to coming on the deeper dives in a few years time.” Remus compromised, still bouncing between his feet and reaching forwards to tug on Virgil's arm.

“That we can do, I guess.”

#remus sanders #virgil sanders #Janus Sanders #dukexiety #platonic dukeceit #diving

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perseusjackson-jasongrace · 4 years

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Jason and Percy: beautiful, terrifying gods

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I am so happy I managed to finish this!! It's probably the longest piece in my "baby fanfic series" that I've ever done but I lovvveeeee it! I hope with all my heart you do too <3

Also I have no idea how to add the Keep Reading thing on mobile and I cannot use my laptop right now so I'm sorry for all the scrolling. Please forgive me!

Anyway, enjoy the Dark Jercy, my loves

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The sky was the most brilliant shade of blue Percy had ever seen. It was like the ocean had found heaven, it was like the world was made only yesterday.... it was like Jason Grace's eyes.

Today was the first day of summer vacation and for once in his long and bloodied life Percy didn't have to do a damn thing. He wasn't off to camp, or summer school or on some deadly quest. No he was off to the beach to surf and then grab a bite at his favourite diner on 6th street.

It had been a long time since he had felt peace like this. And he couldn't help but breathe in deeply at every opportunity. Albeit not the best idea in New York City but it calmed something in him that had been brutal and active for so many months, years.

He stepped onto the sand, readying himself to take on a dead sprint right into those crashing waves.

And he was gone, feet sinking, ocean spraying and his board bouncing against his hip.

"Hey yo Jackson!" a voice rumbled from across the ways

Percy skidded to a halt, looking around. And then grinned a grin so dazzling Jason Grace saw stars.

There were few things more addictive in life than the ocean, and hardly anything more addictive than one certain ocean boy going for a surf.

Jason was sure he could die in this feeling.

"Yo Jase, what's up?"

"Nothing much bro, ready for the hols that's for sure."

"Tell me about it," Percy rolled his shoulders, relief shuddering through him.

"So I know you aren't going to the camps this year, what are you up to?"

Percy stared into the horizon, his eyes impossibly green, as they always were near the sea.

"I think--I think I'm just going to live." He finally said.

Jason nodded, understanding more than anyone what his friend meant, "Let me know if you need someone to share that with"

Percy smiled softly and together they walked into the waves, content to live.

Having completley lost themselves to the rhythmless rhythm of the ocean, Jason was shouting excitedly; he was on the verge of catching a really good wave.

Suddenly he was being pulled under, under, under.

It happened so quickly he didn't even have time to yell before water was filling his lungs. Unable to help but think, This is what you get for stepping into Poseidon territory.

Something grabbed his leg and yanked, pulling him from his thoughts and any hope of rescue.

Whoever- whatever- had ahold of him was dragging him into dark waters. Jason knew there wasn't much longer before he passed out but he fought and struggled against the grip on his leg, trying at the very least to kick up enough of a splash to notice it above.

Claws gripped into his skin, drawing blood, and suddenly he couldn't fight it anymore. His whole body was exhausted; he just wanted the burning in his lungs to stop, and the fire crawling up his leg to go away and most of all he wanted to sleep. A single thought rattled in his head.

I hope Percy is okay.

Jason Grace surrendered to the sweet bliss of nothing.

Percy was feeling many things: surprise, frustration, shock, and, fear— never-ending icy fear.

Where on earth did his friend dissappear to?

One minute Jason was catching a wave and the next his board was floating towards the shore.

Before Percy knew what he was doing he untied the strap from his ankle and dived into the ocean-deep.

Swimming furiously, willing his eyes to adjust to the murky darkness, and finally after too many long moments he spotted a group of creatures zapping towards the coral reefs only a few strokes away.

He was about to call out for help when he saw a flash of blond hair bobbing weightlessly between them.

Fear morphed into rage. Cold, lethal, jagged rage.

Percy Jackson was not a boy from New York who loved his mom. He was a halfblood-warrior who only lived to protect the people he loved. And by the seas he would show them how much of god was in his demigod.

He willed the currents to bend to his command and shot off like an arrow towards the monsters. In mere seconds he was upon them, using the water to tug on their limbs, the multitude that there were. He didn't pull very hard, just enough to get their attention. He wanted to face his enemies and look them in the eye before he killed them.

A gurgling hiss greeted his smirk.

"You seem to have something of mine," Percy's voice dripped sickly sweet.

"What do you want Perrcccyyy Jackson?" The one clawing Jason gurgled.

"I want my friend back thank you. He is under the protection of me and Lord Poseidon and to refuse my request would be a very, very bad idea."

The three things laughed, a vile drowning sort of cackle, "We do not answer to Poseidon and we have no obligation to you Percy Jackson"

"See I was afraid you were gonna say that," He sighed.

And without another thought Percy grabbed onto the water in their body, searching for those molecules that sung to him.

"The thing about descending from humans," He grinned manically, "Is that there's still some intricate parts of you that are just like me,"

The creature flanking Jason's limp right side, started gasping, before any of them could react Percy twisted its body obscenely and continued

"How about a quick biology lesson? Did you know that cerebrospinal-fluid is ninety-nine percent water? And I guess that's the part you share with us puny humans because—"

The monster started shaking, seizing up— Percy rushed forward and with one tap to the center of its back, a deafening crack sounded.

"CSF protects the spine and the brain and without it, your body is really really vulnerable. Now how about we give my friend back, mhm?"

That grin was so very sharp .

Jason Grace cut off the arm of the monster still holding his legs and pried those bony, slimy webs off his skin.

The monster shrieked but did not have time to react before his head was being sliced off, mouth framed in a silent cry.

"Hello Jackson, what took you so long?"

"You lucky I even came to find you. The only thing that tipped me off was your lack of incessant prying questions,"

Jason smirked, "Thanks for the air bubble, drowning sucks."

"Tell me about it," Percy rolled his eyes.

"You've drowned? How is that even possible?"

"Long story but there was a lot of mud and way too many nightmares afterwards." He shuddered

Jason nodded and then turned to their last little friend, only to find he had called for some back up.

"Honestly do they ever get tired of going to tartarus?"

"Maybe Son of Poseidon," a particularly nasty variation of whatever monster this was, piped up, "Maybe it will be you going this time?"

"Been there done that, got the trauma, try again."

They simply hissed at the two demigods and surrounded them, cackling and gurgling menacingly.

"You ready?" Jason smiled wide.

Percy's smirk made three monsters scream and flee, "I just wanted a godsdamn peaceful vacation, so let's make this quick."

With a dangerous, throaty laugh the two boys became weapons of destruction.

Jason took the left flank, following in his partners lead, but instead of using CSF he charged the ions in the monsters' blood. Flooded them with so much electricity, they just collapsed. One by one the creatures were electrocuted from the inside out.

Their eyes glowed, red and green, blindingly bright. It was like their brains were exploding. Jason watched in glee as these disgusting creatures convulsed around him.

Percy was just as intoxicated. Laughing as he broke spines, and made contortionists out of bodies.

For so long these two heroes had fought fair, but it had only gotten friends killed and hurt, it had made their wars so much longer, so much bloodier. Well no more. This was easy and painless for them, and so very very fun.

Back to back they called on lightning and water.

Percy figured out how to drown them from the inside out, Jason figured out how to make their brains short circuit. Together they learnt just how lethal lightning and water could be.

Just how beautiful crackling blue and ocean blue can look.

Together they learned to be terrifying.

When there was only swirling sand and some variation of bone around them, they finally turned to each other.

"Well that was a morning workout if I do say so," Percy breathed hard.

Jason laughed, "Come on let's go wash off the stench,"

"We're in the ocean, how much more water do you need?" Percy motioned.

"It's not so much the water as the soap Jackson,"

And as they lazily swam up, Percy using the currents to do all the hard work, the glow in their eyes slowly faded and the look of human seeped back in.

"I should really get this leg checked out," Jason frowned.

"Can't you just use your lighting and zap it better?" That green-eyed boy smirked

"Haha, not all of us can use whatever domain we control to heal."

"That sucks," He nodded sympathetically even though the sparkle in his eye told a different story "Come on we can go back to mine I have ambrosia and I think my mom just made some chocolate-chip cookies"

"You owe me for taking so long,"

"You lucky I saved your ass Grace,"

"Not as lucky as you are for having this ass to save."

"Can't argue with that logic,"

They grinned at each other, and the world trembled. They didn't notice. Lost in whatever they were, whatever they could become.

Jason and Percy: Beautiful, Terrifying Gods

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#HERE IT IS #my dark Jercy Fic #I had so much fun writing this #Dark Jercy #Dark percy #Dark Jason #Jercy #Percy Jackson #Jason grace #PJO #HOO #Percy #Jackson #Jason #Grace #Baby fanfic #Baby fanfic series

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withabackpackandcamera · 4 years

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February 21st, 2020

Day 7: Island Hopping and Snorkeling on Tour A Off The Shores of El Nido

The day for island hopping had finally arrived! When I planned my Philippines trip, there were two activities that I was looking forward to most: canyoneering in Cebu and island hopping in El Nido. And today, I got to take part in the second of the two. But first, breakfast. The hostel’s breakfast was actually pretty good. The spread was pretty large with a variety of things to eat. After looking through all the options, I had some rice porridge with a boiled egg, toast, fruit, an omelet, some pancakes, and an orange juice. It was a good breakfast to start the packed day.

Because the morning pick-up for Tour A wasn’t until later in the morning, I just hung out and got ready for the trip. But I did leave the hostel briefly to head into town to look for a waterproof bag that I had seen tons of people purchasing the day prior. After walking around for a while, I finally found one for a cheap price. With bag in hand, I returned to the hostel, packed all my stuff into my new waterproof bag, and waited for the guide to pick us up.

And he finally came. Besides me, there were four others from the hostel who had booked the same tour as I had: Claudia and Carmen from Switzerland and Zach and Ghita (Rita) from Morocco. They were all really nice and outgoing and it was fun to be on the tour with them, especially the latter two who I hung out with for most of the tour. Anyhow, we walked to the beach and waited for others to arrive with the guide before we all got into the water and made our way to our floating boat. The boat didn’t leave for what felt like forever. I wasn’t sure what they were waiting on (I think it ended up being some people) but after a while, we were finally on our way. The clouds above us by this point were thicker and more abundant than I had wished but luckily, the sun was still out... at least in some patches of open sky.

We left the bay or area where the boat was parked and zoomed out toward our first island stop, some island beach that I didn’t catch the name of. On our way to that beach, we spotted Helicopter Island in the distance. It really did look like a helicopter from afar! When we actually arrived at the first beach, I got off the boat with my snorkeling gear and walked/swam into shore (while trying to avoid the half-dead coral beneath me). The water was actually pretty nice even though the sun wasn’t really out to heat it up to a more pleasant temperature. Once on shore, I walked along the short shoreline of the beach to the other side of the island before jumping back into the water and snorkeling my way around a limestone rock as I made it back to the other side of the beach and back to the boat. It was amazing to see all the fish and coral in the water as I snorkeled around. It was beautiful! And it had been so long since I’d seen lively coral and fish... probably since all the way back to my days doing morning swims on the Great Barrier Reef off of Heron Island!

After a quick first peek at the water, fish, and coral, I was back on the boat headed to our next stop: Shimizu Island, named after a Japanese person who died in a bad scuba diving accident long ago. At Shimizu Island, all I did was snorkel on the far end of the island in the little channel way leading out to the open water. The snorkeling was superb! There were so many coral and so many different types of fish swimming around! I swam around for quite a bit while trying to take photos here and there of what I was seeing. I was probably out there snorkeling for 20-30 minutes before I started getting tired of continually moving around in the water and kicking my legs. By this point, it was time to start heading back to the boat. It took a while to turn around and swim all the way back into shore but eventually, I got back to the boat and we were off again to the next stop: the Secret Lagoon.

The stop at Secret Lagoon was pretty short because the only reason we stopped there was to take a look at the Secret Lagoon, which wasn’t so secret anymore. But it was kind of cool to see. To get in to see the lagoon, you have to climb through a small hole in the limestone rock that was both the entry and exit point for the Secret Lagoon. And because it was the only way in and out, of course there was a line to get in and out of there. Hilarious to see, annoying to deal with. Anyhow, before long, I was in, checking out the Secret Lagoon. The water was not as crystal clear and blue as you thought it might be but it made sense. With high tide coming only twice a day, there was no way for the water inside the lagoon to turnover and refresh unless the water level came up as high as the entry hole. So that’s probably why the water here didn’t look as nice. Either way, the lagoon was nice to check out with Ghita and Zach.

Once we were back at the boat, it was lunch time. Because it was raining outside, we ended up having to eat lunch on the boat instead of on the beach. Lunch was well prepared and yummy. There was white fish, chicken, squid, mussels, eggplant, veggies, rice, and yellow watermelon. I had two servings because it was so good and I was so hungry after swimming around so much.

Next was the main attraction of Tour A: Big Lagoon. It took some time to get there from where we were but by the time we got there, the rain was coming down. Luckily, no thunder. Since we were going to be wet anyways, it didn’t bother us too much that it was raining. Big Lagoon was pretty big. And the cool part was getting in and out. The boats actually anchored outside of the lagoon and we were given the option of swimming (which would be quite difficult and far) or kayaking into the lagoon. Zach, Ghita, and I decided that we would team up and kayak into the lagoon and check it out. And it was fun! It was a little challenging to kayak at a good speed at first but after a while, Zach and I got the hang of it, with me being in front and him in the back. Lucky Ghita, she was just in the middle enjoying the ride. We kayaked into Big Lagoon and stopped a few times for photos before looping around and kayaking back out to the boat. Of note, there were tons of other kayakers here as well, so it wasn’t as picturesque as it would’ve been had it been just us.

Finally, it was time for the last stop of the day: Seven Commando Beach. This stop was just for hanging out and refreshments before heading back to El Nido. I walked around the beach for a short bit before jumping in on a volleyball game that was just starting with some other tourists. It was a great way to pass time since I was good with swimming and snorkeling for the day. The volleyball game was fun and surprisingly competitive. There were people of all skills but overall, a great two games of beach volleyball. Before finishing the second game, it was time for me to get back to the boat to head back into El Nido.

The tour had come to an end. The weather was pretty terrible for an island hopping experience but overall, it was still fun. It just wasn’t perfect. Once back in El Nido, Ghita, Zach, and I walked back to the hostel and split up to do our own things. I hung out at the hostel and washed up before hanging around for a bit due to the ongoing rain showers outside. I met a nice couple from South Africa, Karen and Mac, and chatted with them for a while until they left. At that point, the rain was starting to calm down and stop, so I took the break in the rain as an opportunity to head back into town to find some food for the evening.

I had my eyes on one restaurant that was recommended to me by hostel staff but once I got there, I realized that it was closed. After strolling around the wet streets for a while to figure out what was open and what options I had, I ultimately decided on dinner at Mang Gary’s Bulalo at Silog. The wait for my food took awhile but when it finally came, I was glad I stopped at this restaurant. For dinner, I had kare-kare with garlic rice and a coke. The portions were huge and I had a surprisingly difficult time finishing it as the rain fell outside. But I eventually finished my huge bowl of kare kare and headed back to the hostel. By this point, I was pretty tired. I thought about dropping by the bar for another evening of hanging out but ended up deciding against it since I was starting to feel strange and unwell. So I just washed up and headed to bed, hoping that I would get a good night’s rest and be ready for a long trip back to Puerto Princesa in the morning.

5 Things I Learned Today:

1. The coral reefs here in Palawan are pretty impressive! Lots of variety and lots of color! And for the most part, they look pretty healthy despite global warming. Also, these reefs are pretty close to shore, something I didn’t quite expect when I went into the water.

2. After a while, snorkeling can get tiring. At first, I thought I could just float there with a snorkel and all would be fine. Nope. After some time, you just want to stand and you can’t until you swim your way back to shore.

3. Shimizu Island was named after a Japanese girl who died in a tragic accident while scuba diving around the island. Supposedly, she and another person got disoriented and lost during the dive (because the dive can get really dark) and eventually died when they ran out of oxygen while lost. They named the island in honor of her. I think the event was in the 1970s.

4. There are watermelons with yellow insides! Amazing! But they taste about the same as the watermelons with pink insides.

5. Kare-kare is a traditional dish of peanut-based sauce with meat and veggies (in my case, it was beef with eggplant and green beans) served over rice. It’s just like a peanut sauce-y curry.

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knifeshoeoreofight · 6 years

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Part 1

Part 2

Zhenya can’t sleep that night. He’s a mess of strong feelings, all sloshing around like water in a bilge. Awe, that he’s been gifted the extraordinary interaction he had earlier today. Fear, that he won’t ever see S or Magda again. Something hot and melting that he won’t give a name too, that keeps dwelling on S’s vivid eyes, the way his generous mouth was a little crooked when he smiled, the sheer strength and grace of him.

Yes. Zhenya is definitely not putting a name to the way those things make him feel.

He tosses and turns for hours, and is still up before dawn. He’s made a decision. He’s going back out, as near to where they’d been yesterday as possible. He probably won’t find anything in the vastness of the ocean, but at least he’ll have tried.

He thinks again about his decision to take off the satellite tag. His sole comfort is that since he removed it himself, and didn’t leave it for the merman to pry off, he’ll be able to access all the data it’s been logging. It doesn’t just record Magda’s location, but also the depth of her dives, as well as other information he can use.

Maybe he can get a paper out of that, somehow. Compare Magda’s movements to those of a whale that isn’t pregnant, or something. Laughably small sample size though, that’s going to count against him.

He’s so lost in thought that he nearly collides with Fleury and Letang, who are waiting in the parking lot of the marina.

“Why you here?” Zhenya asks peevishly. “No corals to look at today?”

“You really think we’re gonna miss this?” Letang says, eyebrow raised. “We are in it for the long haul, man. You know you could use the help on the boat.”

Zhenya’s shoulders slump in unexpected relief. It would be nice not to be alone for this. He’s trying to let neither his pessimism nor his irrepressible hope take over completely. He’s got to be realistic.

The ocean is pearly this morning, the rising sun highlighting it in lemon yellow. Another day of flat calm. His mind goes in circles about whether it’s a good omen or a bad one, or even an omen at all. He shakes his head. He’s a scientist; he used to be a rational person. Until he discovered that beings from myths and legends exist.

It takes them over an hour to reach the coordinates of the spot where they’d interacted with S and Magda the day before. Into the water go the hydrophones, and they all pick up binoculars and begin the slow, thankless task of scanning the ocean for whale spouts.

“We could play some of the recordings we have of him talking,” Letang says, an hour in. “Maybe get him to come check things out.”

Zhenya could kick himself, he really could. “Don’t have right equipment,” he admits, shamefaced. “Can’t believe I didn’t think of this.”

“Don’t worry,” Fleury says. “If I was suddenly a fucking merman’s favorite person, I’d be distracted too.”

“Am not,” Zhenya blusters, but Letang laughs.

“You so are,” he says. “He didn’t give two shits about the rest of us. But he was smiling at you like anything.”

Zhenya feels his face flush. “Didn’t.” He tries to put the image of S’s smile out of his mind and refocuses his binoculars at the horizon.

They’ve been drifting in the same approximate location for around two hours with no luck, when there’s a thunk from the stern of the boat. They all jump and Fleury curses. There’s a humming trill from the dive platform and Zhenya looks at the others, huge grins spreading across all of their faces. They rush over, and there he is.

E, signs S. Whale. Whale-whale-whale. E, whale. He’s got a wide smile on his face.

What? Zhenya signs at him, even though they haven’t learned that one yet. He hopes the expression on his face will convey the question. Whale?

Whale! S signs, then makes the sign again, smaller, hands closer together. Zhenya scrambles for the whiteboard. He scrawls out the whale outline again, baby whale in its belly. He holds it out, and S jabs at the little whale outline, erasing it. He points to the white space outside of the whale outline.

“She have baby?” Zhenya exclaims. “Magda have baby?” He signs baby, another sign he hasn’t taught S yet. But S seems to understand what he means anyway, and cranes his neck to look around the back of the boat. He holds his spread fingers over his nose and mouth and makes a noisy exhalation. He stares at Zhenya, eyebrows raised, waiting for him to get it.

“Oh!” Zhenya exclaims, and makes the sign for “snorkel,” a backwards j shape beginning at the mouth. He turns around and Letang tosses his snorkel at him. S nods, and repeats the sign.

Zhenya scrambles to get his gear on. S is particularly amused by the ordeal that is Zhenya getting into his wetsuit. As soon as he plunges into the water, S takes him by the arm, and starts swimming. Fast. Zhenya has to yank at S’s grip at a few points so that S stops and lets Zhenya clear water from his snorkel and gulp a few breaths at the surface. Each time, S steadies him in the water, and is patient with him even though he’s practically vibrating with excitement.

Zhenya can hear the engine of the boat start up behind them, as Letang and Fleury try to keep him and S in sight.

He’s not sure how far they travel. He just sees that the bottom beneath them has gradually become even shallower. S stops abruptly, and turns to look towards the boat, not moving again until the engine cuts out. Then he swims forward, more slowly. And ahead, Zhenya can start making out Magda’s shape. She’s at the surface, and he hears the percussive blast of her breath. Then he hears it echoed. His heart nearly stops. He knew what S was telling him but after all these months, it didn’t feel real.

S takes them close, about nineteen or twenty meters away. And there it is. Newborn-pale, it’s skin not yet darkened to the gray and white tones of its mother. Fetal folds still crease its skin from its long tenure inside the cramped quarters of Magda’s body. Other than that, its a perfect, beautiful miniature replica of its mother. It swims down from the surface after its breath, turning in the water as it works on figuring out its ridiculous pectoral fins. It bumps against Magda, and then wobbles its way out towards where S and Zhenya hang in the water. It may be an animal, but its baby innocence is clear. All its known is the care of its gentle mother.

After rolling clumsily in the water so it can get a good look at them, the calf heads back to Magda, who seems to have gone to sleep. The baby is more buoyant than she is, so it has to snuggle in under her bulk to stay submerged. Once it gets positioned underneath Magda’s belly, it appears to sleep as well.

Zhenya could watch them forever, but after a few minutes S tugs at him, motioning to the boat. Zhenya reluctantly kicks his swim fins and follows.

Once there, Zhenya hauls himself up to sit on the dive platform, feet in the water.

“So?” Letang asks, eyebrows raised.

“Beautiful,” Zhenya says. He can’t help beaming. “Mom and baby both look healthy.” There’s a surge of water as S pulls himself up onto the platform as well, mimicking Zhenya’s position. Sitting like this, Zhenya’s taller than him. He worries a little that being out of the water will bother S, but he figures S wouldn’t sit out of it if that were the case.

“Neat, man,” Letang says, smiling widely as well. Baby whales. No one’s immune.

“Congrats,” Fleury echoes. “We put the hydrophones in the water, so we can get some recordings for your study.”

Zhenya gives him a grateful thumbs up, and sees S imitate the gesture from the corner of his eye. It gives him an idea.

He turns to S, signing his name. S responds with Zhenya’s.

Baby, S signs.

“Yes, baby,” Zhenya says, signing along with his words. He then makes a thumbs up again, as well as a wide smile. Then he gives a thumbs down and frowns. He repeats it a few times. Then he makes a “meh” face and waggles his thumb in the middle. This makes S make the whirring clicks that Zhenya figures is laughter. He repeats all the signs back to Zhenya.

Zhenya has an idea. He gets up, and clambers back into the boat to take off his fins and retrieve the satellite tag. He shows it to S.

Good, he signs. Good.

S looks at it, then takes a long, long look into Zhenya’s eyes. He must find what he’s looking for, because he slowly nods. Zhenya feels shivery with relief.

After Magda is retagged, S sits back up on the dive platform, and with the help of the white board, Zhenya and he work on “many,” and “few,” and “fish,” and “boat.” Most of the dichotomies are pretty easy. Zhenya adds on “big” and “little.” S has an incredible memory; he only needs a couple repetitions and he’s got it. He’s also very interested in learning to manipulate the marker and whiteboard, and Zhenya has to laugh when he bossily takes the marker away to practice making marks. His webbed fingers are jointed together just like a humans, and he picks the drawing up quickly as well.

His perspective is different, though. When he draws “boat,” he draws a leaf-shape that Zhenya realizes is a boat’s hull seen from below. He’s a being that inhabits the entirety of his environment, in all dimensions. Not like a human, tied by gravity to the surface of the earth. Zhenya wonders how that affects the way he thinks.

S draws an approximate outline of a whale again, then a little one. He points at the big whale.

Whale? He then points in turn to Zhenya and himself. E. S. Whale? He’s asking what they should call her.

“Magda,” Zhenya says, signing an “M.” S considers it, then smiles. He makes a buzzing croak, probably what he calls her in his language.

M he signs. Then, M, little.

He erases the big whale on the board. M, he signs, pointing to the little whale. Boat. Human.

He draws cross-hatching lines over the back of the whale. He pats his chest, and then his ever present bone weapon. He mimes a cutting motion.

Zhenya realizes then what happened. As a juvenile, Magda, like so many other whales, had gotten tangled in discarded fishing gear. From the depth of the scar on her dorsal ridge, she’d dragged it for god knows how long, the plastic embedding itself in her flesh. And then Sid had cut her free. And apparently taken it upon himself to watch over her for some reason. Or, maybe it’s a normal cultural practice. Zhenya still has no idea.

S gestures northwards. Many, he signs. Many, many many.

So he must have followed Magda all the way from her summer waters off of the Maritimes.

E? S asks.

Zhenya gestures northeast. Many, many, many, many, many, many.

Boat? S asks.

Yes, Zhenya replies, not sure how to explain airplanes yet. He holds his hands wide apart to indicate a long time. S makes a sympathetic noise. His nose wrinkles in frustration. He takes the board and struggles with it for a minute, looking disgusted at his attempt and not letting Zhenya see it before he swipes it away.

E, person, person? Baby? He signs. He still looks frustrated. Far?

“I think he’s asking about your family?” Fleury hazards. “Like, other people and maybe about either your parents, or if you have children?”

Zhenya’s eyes widen. He’s at a loss. No person, he signs. No baby.

S looks stricken. No person, E?

Merperson? Zhenya asks. S, merperson? Merperson, baby?

No baby, S signs, He touches his chest and inhales. No [chest-touch] person.

Zhenya wonders if the gesture means what it means to his own culture. It would be a huge coincidence. He lays his hand over his heart with a questioning frown. S reaches over and moves Zhenya’s hand up higher, It’s over his lungs, right at the base of his throat. Air.

Air. They use air to refer to people they love. Someone you love is someone you need like breathing. He keeps his hand where it is, takes a deep breath. S nods.

No, Zhenya tells him. No breath-person.

S is staring at him, eyes fathomless and intense. Zhenya feels measured, evaluated once again.

S reaches out, and lays his fingers at the base of Zhenya’s throat. He leaves them there for a long, long moment.

Then, in the space of a breath, he takes his hand away, slides into the water, and is gone.

#more things in heaven and earth #sidgeno #sidney crosby/evgeni malkin #hockey rpf #dana writes a thing

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mwcowan · 5 years

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Philippines May 2019

Days 4/5/6/7 – Manila to Kawayan Cove to Puerto Galera

We’ve been experiencing pretty sketchy internet so I’ve been building up a few days worth of writing. We’ve been promised that it will get better, when it does you’ll be reading this!

Saturday evening (of day 3) we were visited in Manila by our friends Noel and Michelle Tanada (more on them later), and did some catching up over a few too many drinks until the wee hours. We didn’t quite get the early start on our drive to Kawayan Cove we’d intended, but managed to crawl out of bed and get going by late morning. Once there we checked into our AirBnB condo then headed right over to take a look at the house. Good progress but it’s entering the phase where you have to look a bit harder to see it – when you go from no walls to walls it’s obvious and dramatic, but now we’re starting into the finishing work. The major difference is the roof – we have the corrugated aluminum panels up with the insulation underneath. Over here, the aluminum takes the place of roofing felt – it’s the real waterproofing component. The concrete shingles will be installed over that, possibly in the next week. In addition to the roof, the plumbing and electrical are both roughed in.

I’ve often said that construction over here is all “steel and concrete” but there is actually some wood in our home. The soffits (under the roof eaves) and ceiling of the open entry patio will be mahogany tongue and groove. I was expecting that but hadn’t thought about the framing holding it up which it turns out is also mahogany. I guess it’s probably less expensive over here than other woods, plus it’s very resistant to the heat and humidity.

Monday was national election day in the Philippines. A lot of local elections plus half the Senate was up for grabs. One thing they do here is ban all alcohol sales the day before and day of an election (don’t worry about us, we’d stocked up before the ban took effect). This brings up an interesting question – if we had this in the US, would we have elected Trump if we were all sober?

While we weren’t looking, Habagat happened. Habagat is the annual shifting of the trade winds, an actual 180 degree shift from offshore to onshore winds (here on the west coast at least) that happens literally overnight. Habagat portends the coming of the rainy season in the Philippines and usually begins in the May-June timeframe, lasting until November-December. The effect at Kawayan Cove is that the ocean swell is now coming into the cove, bringing actual waves to the beach. Not enough for surfing, the shore break is about 1 foot high at best, but it’s not the placid cove it is during Amihan which is the other part of the year with its gentler east-to-west winds. The undesirable effect is that these winds blow more trash from the ocean into the cove. The staff here does a good job keeping our beach clean, but while I was snorkeling in the cove I collected about 20 pounds of plastic bags, cups, wrappers, and one paint can from the water, just making a small dent in the overall amount. The picture below is of an adjacent beach without the Kawayan Cove staff to clean it up. Refer to previous rants about plastics in the ocean…

Speaking of junk in the ocean, our previously mentioned friends Noel and Michelle drove down to visit us on Monday at Kawayan Cove. Our condo was 2-bedroom so they had a place to spend the night. Though we’ve known them for a long time we’ve just learned about their involvement with an ocean conservation group (www.coralmovement.org) of which Michelle has become president. The group’s primary efforts are to restore coral reefs with innovative re-planting methods which seem to be very effective. Reef restoration is just one aspect of the whole ocean conservation thing, equally important are education, shoreline cleanup and rehabilitation, control of pollution and waste, as well as many others. We spent a lot of time talking about their group’s efforts, leaving us with an option to join them, as it fits well with our intentions to get involved with conservation work over here.

Tuesday (day 6) is for going to a new island, for both Georgia and me. Mindoro is the pretty large island directly south of Luzon (where Manila and Kawayan Cove are located). Close enough to be reached by ferry, we decided to take our first “road trip” and drive to Batangas City where we could load the car onto a RORO (a Philippines auto ferry, ‘RORO’ is slang for “Roll On, Roll Off”) and sail to the port of Puerto Galera, Mindoro.

We decided to take the 3:00 ferry and got to Batangas port by 1:00 as we were advised get there a couple hours early. We went through various inspections of car and contents and were then instructed to drive to “line 15” to wait for the ferry. We found the appropriate line and waited, and waited… until a little after 3:00 we asked an official-looking type who was walking around when the ferry would actually leave. 6:00 he said! We never got any explanation at all about what happened to the 3:00 ferry. Was it full? Did it get cancelled? Did the boat sink? We’ll never know. Anyway we finally loaded onto the ferry about 5:30 and it set sail for the 2-hour voyage a little after 6. After a quick off-loading process we reached our hotel around 8:30, pretty starving as we’d only had an early lunch while on the road. Couldn’t see much of the place as it was dark but all we really wanted to see was the restaurant which thankfully was still open.

Today we finally saw where we’re staying, a very nice place right on the water in a quiet mangrove-lined inlet between Puerto Galera and Sabang. Not many impressive beaches in this part of Mindoro, which is mostly known for it’s world-class scuba diving. What beaches they have are lined with dive shops and bars, and are said host a pretty active party scene. Those rowdy scuba divers, what can you do… join them maybe? This afternoon we met with Ms. Rose, the PADI dive instructor here at the resort, who will be our teacher for the next few days, as we (hopefully) will earn at least the “Scuba Diver” certification and possibly have time for the next level up, “Open Water Diver”. Stay tuned!

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runningonnothing-blog1 · 6 years

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What’s In Store?

<> Slight authors notes here: This is a story format I’m not used to but I’m willing to push the boundaries. This was super fun to write and it was a beauty to come up with a storyline. ENJOY!

<> Prompt: The world goes through 2000 year natural cycles of magic and non-magic. The non-magical cycle is about to end any day now. (from @writing-prompt-s)

<> Word count: 1932

17 year old Alexis sat in the corner of the business room, watching as the officials scrambled around like chickens. They were trying to figure out the plan for trying to live through what they call ‘The Turning’. Every two thousand ears, a terrible fate would be lowered on the humans of the earth. The globe would be washed somehow of every mortal, and replaced by another. Every Turning it was different. They say the last one consisted of everyone having the urge to do an insane thing. Over half the population was killed by cliff diving, and the other half all died in strange ways to add. Now the two thousand years of normal humans was about to end, and was going to be replaced by the ‘Magics’. It’s something they focus a lot on in school, and more recently than ever.

Alexis’ dad was one of the head officials of the department that deals with huge crises. Mr. Boe was his name, and he was well known throughout the country. He was always calm, cool, and collected. Everyone looked up to him, but unfortunately he took that to his advantage. Now, Mr. Boe looks like a fool yelling at everyone to calm down, yet he looked like his own eyes were popping out of their sockets. Alexis was dragged around to each of his stupid little meetings, and happens to now be the calm one out of the twenty five men in the room.

While lounging in the corner, she’s adjusted her position many times in the past hour. Alexis has learned to not care about what others thought of her clothing here, everyone knew her as ‘Mr. Boes daughter’, she never heard ‘Alexis’. Any other person in her position would have been in the sea of confused, panicking men… But she has internally accepted her fate as a whole. Humans of the past have never been able to survive this epidemic, and no one knows how we even have knowledge of this being true.

Standing, Alexis sauntered tiredly over to the large pane of glass, only to see the streets filled with people below her. She sighed, almost frustrated with their stupidity. Parents carried their children across the street, people paid hundreds more for groceries, and everyone was on edge constantly.

“ALEXIS! Get away from the glass!” Mr. Boe screamed, and the whole room came to a stop. The silence caused an icy tension to fill the room, everyone's heads slowly turned and their eyes burned into Alexis’ back. After rolling her eyes, she turned on her heels in annoyance. Each of the officials, held the most bewildered look on their faces.

“What? Is it going to break?” As if almost on cue, the glass did break. Out of surprise Alexis dove forward onto the brown leather sofa, backing away from the many dangerous shards. The ear shattering sound continued… and continued… and continued. Alexis sat upward, propping her one elbow to hold her back up, and used her other hand to check her plain blue tee for shards. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a loose bun so she didn’t need to worry about that. Once Alexis clicked back into reality, she looked around to see everyone still staring at the window, she joined them out of curiosity. It’s not like a large, bulletproof piece of glass would just… shatter? Right?

What they all thought wasn’t possible, happened. Once her eyes caught the other buildings, she noticed a somewhat repeating pattern. Every window that was designed to be bulletproof has shattered. Screams and crying sounded from below, police sirens rang. All twenty six people in the room stood in utter disbelief, the silence now filled with heavy thoughts.

“It’s begun.” Alexis breathed.

After only being a day since the first ‘wave’ hit, Alexis was extremely done with how everyone was acting. Her dad insisted to have her go back to work with him today, but she denied and promised to go get the groceries, and be back home… and stay home. Alexis new that wasn't going to happen, because even she was tired of being cooped up, even if it was for only twenty eight hours. She didn’t bother with the list, because her dad went totally crazy with items… They didn’t need 8 large flats of water bottles.

Pulling herself out of bed, Alexis pulled her long blonde hair out of her loose messy bun and threw it over her shoulders. After putting on black leggings and her favourite coral pink long sleeve shirt on, she looked closely at her face in her bathroom mirror. No need for makeup today… She thought to herself. Afterall, I might die today. Grabbing her purse, she slipped on her white converse shoes. Alexis gripped the golden door handle, as a small thought in the back bothered her in the back of her head. She ignored it, dismissed it along with all her worries. She had read somewhere that death comes easier if you aren’t afraid, hopefully it’s true, as she didn’t seem to care one bit. Alexis traveled down the busy Washington streets, not wanting to bother with her car, people would have yelled at her that it was too dangerous anyways.

Once she entered the supermarket, filled with people filling their carts to the brim, she sighed. All she needed was a jug of milk, eggs and maybe her favourite chocolate bar. Making her way to the isle that held eggs, she grabbed her needed item. Alexis noticed a single jar of pickles that was left, and as she reached for the jar, another pair of hands met her own.

An older woman with two young children who clung to her legs stared at her with pleading eyes, “please, my dear, let us have this jar.”

Alexis looked at this little woman in confusion, her eyes narrowed, “but I want this for my snack later.”

“So you don’t know that pickles are supposed to last the longest? How dare you waste something like this! Give it to me!” The mother yelled, tightening her grasp.

“Hmm, not like I wanted cheese and crackers anyways.” Alexis let go of the glass jar, and the mother clung it to her chest.

“Good choice.” she snarled, running off with her cart filled with other various items.

Alexis shrugs this behavior off and wanders to the baking isle. Maybe she could bake cookies instead, or some sort of bread. She’s noticed how desperate people of come, though the first wave just hit twenty eight hours ago. Once her eyes meet the sugar, next to it was the flour. Which was where a bunch of boys were tearing them open. There were about five or six of them, one of which was peering interestingly at the vanilla on the shelf next to him.

“Come on guys, you might get us arrested, get your heads straight.” He said, putting down his hood. It revealed messy long brown hair, and a fairly sharp jawline. When he turned to face Alexis, she noticed how he seemed to have a constant smirk. She went to reach for the last bag of flour, but one of the goofs on the floor grabbed it before her hands were even in a foots radius. He tore it open, and added to the growing pile on the floor.

“What’s next? The eggs?” Alexis scoffed, holding her own close to her. Maybe instead a tasty omelette will help satisfy her hunger.

“Maybe, if you’d hand them over.” A muscular one growled.

“What’s the point of fighting me? It’s not like we are actually going to live. Can’t I just have an omelette, since I can’t have cookies… Or crackers with pickles and cheese?” At this point, Alexis was just hungry and wanted something to eat. She knew this trip was going to be relatively long, but she also didn’t think it would be this long.

“Oh, so you’re not crazy like the rest of these freaks?” The one was no longer interested in the vanilla ingredients, as he has turned to face Alexis.

“Uh- no. My father is trying to convince me that it’s bigger than we think, but it’s not going to help the fact we all are going to die anyways.” Alexis said, reaching up to grab the baking soda.

“I like your views… What’s your name?” The guy continued, but Alexis just shoved the baking soda in between her elbow and her side.

“Trying to get a girl for less than who knows how long? Not gonna happen, buddy.” She started towards the front, she heard a pair of footsteps follow her. Ignoring them, she waited at the back of the insane line, her hunger slowly increasing by the second.

“Seriously? Did daddy raise a good girl?” The same voice snickered behind her, “Just cut the line, they are too busy to notice anyways. Come on.” The boy grabbed her free elbow and pulled her away before someone gathered behind her. Once they reached the fresh sunlight, Alexis couldn’t help but feel off. Like something was about to happen, but she pushed it to the back of her head.This man was following her, or- with her.

“If you tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine.” She stated, striking the deal.

“What? My name? Oh its Sean. Now it’s time to fill your end.” His face still held that annoying smirk.

“Alexis, now would you leave me be?” Just as she started to walk, she turned on her toes. Screams and cries took control of her mind, ears, and that’s all she heard.

Rows of people one by one fell to the floor, twisting and contorting their bodies Alexis didn’t know were possible. They reached for sky with angry twitching fingers, as if something was choking them. Each scream seemed to leave her head ringing with confusion. She couldn’t move, nor could her new found friend.

“Alexis. Run.” She found herself stuck to the cement, her knees shaking.

This was the second wave. It was here, the end… the end is here. Sean grabbed her elbows, and she dropped all her items in the process. He dragged her for a few feet before Alexis gained her own balance. She followed the taller man in now desperation. The realization hit.

Death was inevitable. It was going to come either way. Every thought of ‘run’ or ‘I must live’ has left her mind. The Turning was destined to happen every two thousand years, it’s not like it was just going to stop now. She stopped dead in her tracks, spun around, and stared at the bodies dropping in front of her. Alexis wasn’t sure how to feel as the rows dropped closer and closer to her.

“Alexis are you insane?” Sean’s voice was heard from behind her, just as the bodies were a few feet in front of her, she turned to face him. Alexis didn’t want to fight the fate she was given, it would be harder to live.

“I heard death is easier if you aren’t scared. Bye Sean, now it’s your turn to run.” She raised her arm to wave at the boy, now pale. He looked dead himself, but he nodded.

“See you soon, Alex.”

Alexis heard a scream as if it was right in her ear. She let herself be taken under the invisible pressure, the loneliest colour took over her vision. Her mind was silent, but for one thought. The thought she pushed to the back of her head that morning.

I never said ‘I love you’ to dad.

#short story #writing promt #runningonnothing #story

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mikexner · 7 years

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Update...and what’s next

I obviously didn’t do enough research on Cairns....the beach is 20+ minutes from the hotel by cab. We are on he bay. But that didn’t matter today as I was on the good & wine tour. Which was awesome.

The dive shop is a block away. I get on the boat at 4 pm tomorrow.

I wandered town tonight. Cairns is a very cool little town. Very clean, lots of night life, lots of restaurants, and a kids infinity pool in the middle of town leading to the bay. It’s very cool! I’ll grab a photo when I’m in town tomorrow.

All shopping closes at 5 here. Even the mall. My Apple Watch band broke, and I wanted to go buy a new one. But all shopping except 7-11 (yes, there is 7-11 here) closes at 5. Didn’t get back from the tour until almost 6. So, tomorrow I will go shopping. Probably for a shot glass for the collection along with a new watch band.

Interesting facts here that I learned today:

* Passengers in any car are allowed to have open containers. The driver cannot, but passengers can. Not so sure I like that. But different.

* Guns are very, very controlled here. There is no such thing as a gun for personal protection. Police officers cannot take guns home they must be turned in at the end of a shift. Hunters may only have one rifle, and they have to be manually loaded - no cartridges - and you can’t have much more than a speeding ticket in your life and be able to get a rifle. Like a negligent driving offense could disqualify you. And rifles must always be kept in a safe until you are on site to hunt - they even have to be in a locked box in your car.

* There are a huge number of unpaved roads in this region. And driving 50 on a dirt or gravel road is considered normal.

I will probably post some pictures tomorrow before the boat leaves, and then I’ll be radio silent for 5 days while I’m diving in the outer Coral Sea. We will be as much as 600 miles from shore, so no cell service, no internet, just quality time on the water. I have downloaded about 75 hours of movies and TV shows just in case for my boat time (thanks Kim!), but I really don’t anticipate watching much. Everything I’ve reviewed says there will be tons of activities.

If anyone wants to see the normal stuff for the dive trip I’m taking, search for Mike Ball Diving, and I’m doing the 4 night dive fly coral sea adventure. You can see reef reports with pictures from their recent trips. It is expected to be 81 degree water, 100+ foot visibility, and perfect calm water. Diving conditions don’t get better than that! And, one of the final dives is another shark dive. I can’t wait. Soooooooo excited!

I think one of my shopping stops tomorrow will be to get a bunch of snacks. I know I’m the worlds pickiest eater, and I don’t want to find myself not eating because I dislike what is served. I also have to do some serious re packing tonight and in the morning - I can only take 50 pounds of luggage with me, including all my dive gear. My dive gear alone is 35+ pounds. The rest I have to leave at the dive shop. This means I’ll likely be without power banks for 5 days. I know, that’ll be rough, especially for those who know I typically travel with about 10 of them. But what would I do on my phone those 5 days anyway?

The dive trip ends with a light plane flight at 700 feet over the Great Barrier Reef. That’s going to be awesome.

Different subject - souvineers. I’ll probably pick up a total of 5 or 6 shot glasses to add to my collection. Beyond that? This blog is my souvineer. I’m taking adventures and committing my resources to the experience. I’m spending my vacation budget to do cool things, and I’m capturing them here so I can remember them. Not coming home with any “stuff”.

I’m excited. Having a blast!

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shsummertimefest-blog · 7 years

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Enjoy, @ohlafraise!

Sorry this ended up not being your OTP, but hopefully the fluff and bonus Malec makes up for it. Hope you enjoy, and happy summer!

“You do know you've only got ten minutes on that tank, Maia, dear?”

Maia raised her wrist, looking at the stopwatch on her wrist counting down the minutes since she'd started her dive. The timer was set to hit zero at the last possible moment where ascending was still safe. Her dive today wasn't that deep, so when the clock hit zero she'd have plenty of time to make it back to the surface, and the yacht where Magnus was waiting for her.

“I know,” she replied, voice transmitting over their radio connection. “I'll just get a few more pictures. There's this shipwreck that seems to be the Ritz for marine life.”

“Hey, no chances, Roberts.”

“I know, I promise.”

Really, there wasn't a better research partner she could ask for than Magnus. This project was their baby, Maia determined to look into the usual collection of marine life in the bay. The assortment of things that lived in the area didn't make any sense in the quantities in which they did - predators should have been making an impact on numbers. That was what Maia was trying to do today: get the numbers.

Counting fish was about as hard as it sounded, too.

Magnus was more of a chemistry expert to Maia's marine biology, so they'd started the day by collecting samples - water, soil, rock, everything that might be useful. They would mostly go back to their lab, but when Maia had left the boat Magnus had started some field analysis on the water, since he wasn't diving. Someone had to stay with the boat, after all.

The very words ‘diving solo’ had drawn massive reluctance from Magnus, but Maia had been diving her whole life. Whilst some situations were better off with a partner, this wasn't even a deep dive, and Maia knew she'd be fine. The boat wasn't that far away. And, even if something did happen, it wouldn't take Magnus long to find her.

She'd be fine.

Moving forward into the chasm of the shipwreck, Maia slipped under the mast and down to where a collection of coral and molluscus seemed to have taken over the harsh surface for its own. Maia knew the wreck hadn't been here for long, but the growth and the way the ocean was effectively reclaiming the wreck was incredible. She wondered why no one had ever tried to recover it.

Not that it needed recovering now.

Raising her camera, Maia took a few more photos, searching around the exposed deck of the boat for anything interesting. It seemed as though most of what was there needed a lot more study - she could always swap her air tanks and then come back, give the place the attention it deserved.

Just as she was about to go, a dart of colour caught her eye, the flash of a fin that was far bigger than anything she'd seen all day. Maia frowned, moving forward. That was… unusual. She checked her watch. Seven minutes. It would take her a bit of time to prepare for another dive, and by then this unusual specimen could already be gone.

It wouldn't hurt to take a look. It shouldn't take that long.

Moving towards the open door, Maia slipped inside through the gloom, trying to see where something that big could have gone. There weren't many options, but the whole place felt like a maze. She barely knew which was was up, never mind which was to go.

There there it was again. A flash of red, just in the corner of her eye.

Moving forward, Maia found the increasingly small gap blocked by some old crates. Hanging her camera around her neck, she grabbed on with both hands and pushed. It was just a bunch of crates. It wasn't going to hurt anyone, right?

Carefully lifting the debris out of the way, she swam forward through the gap, squinting as the water seemed to get even darker. It was like swimming through soup, and Maia doubted she'd be able to see much more than her hand in front of her face down here, let alone a mysterious fish.

But the cracks in the hull let through a little light, which just allowed her to see the whip of red colliding with a rusted doorway as the whole ship trembled when the door slammed shut.

She paused for a moment, analysing. Everything seemed stable, just for a moment. And then the crates she'd moved to get inside all shifted and collapsed, colliding with her back.

Maia darted out of the way as best as she could, but something hit her tank, tangling up in her gear. She immediately reached over, checking the monitor.

She was leaking air. That probably wasn't good. Worse, the entrance she'd used was now far too narrow to fit through with all her gear. She'd never get through there. Maybe if she dropped everything she could squeeze it, but the thought of freediving all the way out of the wreck and to the surface sounded daunting, even for her.

“Magnus, something hit my tank,” she said quickly, aware she was wasting the precious little air she had. “I'm going to try and make it back to you, I'll see you soon.”

Before Magnus could reply, she flipped her radio off - she didn't need to hear him right now. She needed to conserve air and think. Maybe it wasn't as bad as she thought.

Moving forward to the door that had slammed shut, she tugged at it with her fingers, testing if it would move. It was heavy, but not stuck. She could prop it open a little, but the weight of it made it difficult to move, even in the water.

So, that was going to be… difficult.

Still, it was the only option she had, so she tugged. Hard. It felt like it took hours of effort to move it far enough to fit through, but then it seemed to move by itself, leaving her enough space to escape - into more black, confusing maze. Maia didn't even know if there was another way out. Were boats like this designed with a second exit, it was there maybe a hole in the side of the vessel somewhere?

Not that it mattered, because as she inhaled, she became vividly aware of how little air she had left. That wasn't going to work anymore, which meant her time to get out was limited. Holding her breath, she surged forward, crashing into a wall blindly.

Maybe there was no other way out. Maybe she'd trapped herself down here, maybe this was it. Curiosity killed the cat, and the marine biologist. Damn, Magnus was going to kill her. Hopefully he’d be able to publish their research anyway though.

Would she get a better grave from beyond the grave? Surely someone had to appreciate her sacrifice.

Just as the dizziness started to hit, she felt something grab her, pulling her to the side. Magnus must have managed to find her then. How he'd managed to get in, Maia had no idea but she guessed it didn't matter as long as they both got out.

But then something started to pull at her gear - her mask and her tank. That didn't make sense, did it? Or maybe it did. Maybe Magnus had a spare line from his. She was too delirious to care. The water hit her face in a rush, but it didn't make much difference to how she felt.

Actually, it did, when she managed to inhale a lungful of salt water.

Before she could do much more, something soft and warm pressed against her lips. That… definitely didn't make sense, her brain said. The spare lines were hard, cold plastic breathers. This was… warm and affectionate, and there were hands slipping around her back, where the tank used to be, camera getting crushed in the middle.

After a moment, water reached her mouth again, and Maia squinted through the gloom, opening her eyes. What she saw made her sure the salt water had made her hallucinate. Because there was a very pretty girl, with toned skin and dark hair, pulling her forward.

She was also very naked. And very sexy. And Maia was very turned on right now, which wasn't really appropriate since she was in the middle of drowning thank you very much and -

Wait. Drowning. She was breathing again. But she was breathing water.

Maybe she'd hit her head too. That sounded more likely. Especially when a glint of red caught the light, and Maia looked down.

Oh. She'd been kissing a mermaid. Of course. How silly of her to think there was anything else going on, like spare tanks and Magnus coming to save her.

Well, at least she'd have one hell of a story to tell Luke when she got home. They could laugh about it over his wife's Chicken Cacciatore, she was sure.

Before she could question anything too much, strong arms were pulling her away, what seemed like deeper into the belly of the beast. There was very little Maia could do about it though, and she was far too confused to protest anyway.

But then, slowly, the gloom seemed to get lighter. Maia looked back at the ship was far behind her, the mermaid swimming along at a pace Maia could only dream of. She wondered how far she would get without the dead weight dragging her down.

Then, all at once, they surfaced, Maia gasping in fresh air, trying not to choke. There was still a little water in her lungs, which promptly came spewing out as she rolled across the rocky surface she'd landed on, salt water pouring out of her.

She was alive. Well, there was a surprise.

Gentle hands moved across her shoulder, and Maia started a little in surprise before eventually looking to the side. And there she was, the mermaid in all her glory. Waves of dark hair rolled down her body, water running off her in a way that Maia absolutely wasn’t tracking with her eyes. The girl still wasn’t wearing a shirt. And she still had a tail. A beautiful, scarlet red one. Which was fine and all, but Maia guessed the fact she could feel the mermaid touching her meant this probably wasn’t a hallucination.

Probably. Which meant she definitely needed to feel a lot worse about being so attracted to her.

“Are you okay?” the mermaid asked, concern evident in her voice. Maia blinked. She spoke English. Well that was… good? The scientist in her was utterly fascinated by the fact. Did mermaids sit and listen to people on the shore to learn language? Had their societies somehow developed along the same path? Surely if there was some sort of great mermaid society they'd have their own customs and languages? It would seem nearly impossible for -

“Hello? Oh, angel, are you really hurt? What can I do to -”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine,” Maia eventually replied, cutting in. She was aware she'd been gawking. But… she'd been rescued by an honest to god mermaid. She was allowed to stare… right?

Although it was probably still a rude gesture, the mermaid didn't seem too bothered. In fact, now that Maia bothered to pay attention to the woman herself, she seemed to be doing quite a bit of staring too.

Not that Maia knew what there was to stare at. Other than the fact her hair was probably a total mess from the water.

“Oh, good,” she replied brightly. “I'm Isabelle.”

She had a name. Maia did her best not to choke. Isabelle. Well, at least she could put a name to the thing that was going to be plaguing all her dreams and fantasies for the next few weeks.

“Maia,” she replied after a long moment, and the mermaid smiled even more widely. Maia hadn't realised that was possible.

“I'm so sorry for what happened down there. I saw you following me and my brother's always telling me about avoiding humans, but then my tail caught the ship and -”

“Wait, that was you?” Maia exclaimed. She'd been chasing a mermaid. Of course, she'd been chasing a mermaid. Come to think of it, mermaids might explain her entire research paper away. She'd love to see what the board said about that.

Isabelle nodded, pushing herself a little further up onto the rocky shore they'd landed on. Maia looked around. It was discrete, not somewhere she recognised, but probably not that far out from the harbour. The cliffs and rocks made it nearly inaccessible around here. They'd be left well alone, no doubt what the mermaid was going for.

Maia would be worried about being eaten alive if she hasn't just been rescued from certain doom. If Isabelle was one of those vicious mermaids, surely she wouldn't have wasted the time and energy bringing her here.

Plus Isabelle had started playing with her hair. Maia swore her chest was going to explode. Sure, it had been a long time since she'd had a date, but this was out of hand. And out of the question. What kind of relationship was she picturing here? One where she put her girlfriend in a tank and wheeled her around the city? Hardly.

Isabelle nodded, still gently untangling some of the knots from Maia’s damp hair. “I thought you knew.”

“No… no. I thought you were a fish,” Maia said deliriously. Isabelle looked up, arching an eyebrow. “Not that you are! You're much prettier than a fish. Not that fish aren't pretty but…” Maia resisted the urge to punch herself as Isabelle giggled.

“You're pretty too, Maia,” she said sincerely, eyes flicking down to her lips. “I very much liked kissing you.”

Maia swallowed. Oh, God, what was she getting herself into? More to the point, why didn't she care what she was getting into?

“That was… incredible,” Maia agreed.

“The kiss of a mermaid is a gift. It stops you silly humans from drowning,” Isabelle murmured softly.

“Have you… kissed many people?” Maia asked, holding her breath, barely aware that she was leaning closer. Isabelle shook her head.

“No. Just you,” she replied, voice low. “You're not like anyone else I've met.”

“I've never met a mermaid before,” Maia replied, and Isabelle smiled.

“No, I don't suppose you have,” Isabelle agreed. Her hand stopped toying with Maia's hair, instead tucking it behind her ear carefully. “I'd very much like to kiss you again.”

Maia nodded slowly. “I'd like that too.”

It seemed that Isabelle didn't believe in wasting time as she leaned in, using her gently grip on Maia's neck to pull her closer. And then she was kissing a mermaid, as well as the prettiest girl Maia had ever seen. The pulse raced, and Maia leaned in, falling into the kiss as Isabelle's lips moved expertly against her own.

It had been a while since Maia's last date, but she swore she'd never been kissed like this before.

“Maia!”

They jumped apart with a start, Isabelle immediately moving to try and get back in the water, but Maia moved faster, grasping her wrist gently. Isabelle was so strong that Maia doubted she could keep her from doing anything, but the mermaid hesitated regardless.

Maia looked over, seeing the figure swimming through the waves, and sighed with relief.

“It's okay. It's my partner,” Maia told Isabelle briefly. Isabelle frowned, and Maia realised her mistake. “Research partner. We work together.”

The concern on Isabelle's face cleared, but still she inched a little closer to the tide, the edge of her fin dipping into the waves. She was nervous. Maia wondered how many humans she had met. From what she'd said about her brother, Maia doubted this was even allowed.

Magnus reached the shore easily, carefully picking his way along the rocks, his attention entirely focused on Maia it seemed. He certainly didn't make any indication he'd seen Isabelle, and Maia could help but wonder if she maybe was delusional.

“Maia, I was so worried. I was starting to make a dive then I saw that the tracker signal from your comm had moved. Which, by the way, you definitely should have kept on, I've been trying to get you for ages. What hap -” Magnus cut himself off and came to an abrupt halt, finally noticing Isabelle, who it seemed was trying to slip away into the water unnoticed. “Is that a mermaid?”

Well, if Magnus could see her too she probably wasn't crazy.

“Magnus, this is Isabelle. She… rescued me.” Maia said briefly, shooting him a look. She'd explain later. Magnus opened his mouth and then sighed, seemingly getting the message. So instead he smiled, taking a seat on the rock at Maia's side.

“Thank you for your efforts, Isabelle. It's lovely to meet you.”

Isabelle seemed a little startled, but eventually she smiled.

“It's nice to meet you too.”

If Magnus was as surprised as Maia was, he did a much better job of hiding it.

“I should really go. My brother will be looking for me,” Isabelle continued on, fully immersing herself into the water, arms resting on the edge of the shore. Maia felt a jolt of panic at the thought of losing this beautiful creature forever.

“How will I find you again?” she blurted out, and Isabelle looked at her in surprise. She seemed to think about it for a moment

“There's a little cove, just along from the harbour. Can you be there at sunset tomorrow?” Maia nodded, trying not to give away her eagerness. “Then I'll meet you there.”

“Okay,” Maia replied softly, a smile on her lips. Isabelle returned the smile, moving just a little closer, lost in each other's eyes. Then there was a large splash nearby, and a voice like thunder.

“Izzy! What the hell is going on?”

“Oh, angel,” Isabelle breathed, before turning around. “Alec! I was just coming to find you.”

“You're talking to humans now? After everything you -”

“I would be too hard on her. She saved my friend here,” Magnus cut in. “I'd be awfully grateful too if someone carried out such a daring rescue for me.” As he spoke, he had his eyes fixed on this new mermaid - Alec, was it? Maia frowned a little, eyes darting between Magnus and Alec. Alec who seemed to be… was he stuttering?

“Izzy,” Alec hissed, refocusing his attention. “You know the humans are bad news.”

“I'd love to prove you wrong,” Magnus murmured, and she could see Alec trying to stay focused.

“Come on. Let's go,” he insisted before diving underneath the waves. Isabelle turned back to them, looking apologetic.

“I'm sorry,” she murmured, and Maia shook her head.

“Don't worry about it,” Maia promised her. “I'll see you tomorrow?” Isabelle nodded, and smiled.

“Bring your brother, will you? I'm sure I can keep him distracted,” Magnus offered, and Isabelle laughed a little.

“You can try. Goodbye,” she said softly, before disappearing under the waves.

With that, Magnus collapsed back on the rocks, sighing dramatically. “I think I'm in love,” he said. Maia smiled. Usually she would have rolled her eyes and told him to stop being dramatic, but instead, she lay back beside him.

“Yeah. Me too.”

Maybe the trip hadn't entirely gone to plan, but Maia couldn't help but feel she'd won something better out of it all.

Just as long as she never had to explain to anyone how she was dating a mermaid, it was all going to be just fine.

#ohlafraise #shgiftfest17 #fic #malec

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