[PRP] float up from dream (nathaniel & jeremiah)

[azuredreams]

The fact of the matter was that Jeremiah had never really pushed himself. He trained and practiced but pushing himself? No, that had not been something he did. It was a mistake and one that would be rectified.

All this power at his fingertips, all this potential, and it was wasted. It was something he could rectify.

Jeremiah stood at a fountain, one that was tucked close to downtown other ashdown (and had an Ashdown counterpart), and proceeded to lift every drop of the black murky water out of it. The detective lieutenant was not just holding it as had been done in the past but molding it. It was not entirely unlike water bending as he moved it through the air.

Never mind that not a drop of rain seemed to hit him, though it was warm rain that fell this day unlike the cooler weather that was now blowing into Ashdown.

kuropeco

and then nathaniel stumbles upon this and is like O_____O

 

[kuropeco]

Nathaniel had been at the fountain when it had switched.

He hadn't meant to; he'd stopped there to stick a book he'd taken out back inside of his bag, and when he'd looked up next, he'd found that the fountain had changed slightly and that it was suddenly raining, warm drops hitting the back of Nathaniel's neck.

Nathaniel slowly straightened, glancing around warily. There was a figure standing a few feet away - a very familiar figure, arms raised, and yet, unlike Nathaniel, not starting to be soaked through by raindrops. Water curled above his outstretched hands, undulating, twisting, contorting into different shapes.

Nathaniel watched, fascinated, for a few seconds, then said,

"Detective Lieutenant Mercer, fancy meeting you here."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Jeremiah glanced towards Nathaniel as he spoke, having noticed him almost immediately. It did not break his focus and he continued to manipulate the dark, murky water around himself.

"I could say the same to you, Nathaniel." His head tilted a bit, giving the young man a look. "The formalities matter little here, so Mercer is fine. I wasn't aware you had started dreaming."

kuropeco

 

[kuropeco]

The corners of his lips quirked up into half a smile, Nathaniel shoving his hands into the pockets of his worn jeans. The water above both of their heads twisted and curled, contorting into fantastical shapes, and for a moment, it looked like glass, and Jeremiah the glass blower.

"I wasn't aware of much either, myself, sir," Nathaniel admitted. "I can't say I rightly understand everythin', but I'm tryin' - speakin' of which..."

He trailed off, eyeing the water.

"What are you doin', exactly?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Thankfully the water being manipulated meant that there was little of the rain that was actually falling on Nathaniel.

"Mm, it is something that isn't easily understood until you get your toes wet so to speak." Which was exactly what Nathaniel was now doing. Jeremiah paused a moment, his hand flicking and the water shifted to swirl around the younger man.

"Just doing stretches," he replied with a small smirk. "... the ones that are required for magic, in any case."

kuropeco

 

[kuropeco]

Nathaniel did very much appreciate the fact that he wasn't being soaked in buckets of rain, thanks to Jeremiah.

Something in his chest twisted, however, at the words; a mingled sense of longing and a more shameful sense of agreement to what the older man was saying. It isn't something that isn't easily understood, and yet Nathaniel had been trying and so far -

You don't belong.

He lifted his head, ignoring the voice, and let his eyes drift along the water as it twisted around him, Nathaniel stretching out a hand to touch it, fingers drifting across the glassy, swirling surface.

"Can you control water now, sir?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Jeremiah's eyes, here in other ashdown, were possessed of a near constant glow. It was not unlike the reflective quality of a cat's when light hit them just right. Only the faintest bits of his blue-green eyes were even visible through it.

When Nathaniel touched the water, Jeremiah's fingers twitched and the water swirled downward around his arm until it was swirling entirely around him. It lasted only for a few moments, Nathaniel likely noticing that the water gave off a particularly cold feeling, as the silver-haired man was pulling it back so that it once more was over them both.

"Not just water," he replied, lips twitching upwards with a smile. "This isn't actually what I prefer to work with or what comes naturally, so it makes it more of a challenge." His eyes glanced upwards to the water before they flicked back to Nathaniel.

"You could do the same thing if you wanted."

kuropeco

 

[kuropeco]

Nathaniel was watching Jeremiah carefully, interest on his own face, flickers of obvious curiosity. The water had shifted under his fingers, twisting around Nathaniel's arm and crawling up until it had engulfed him, and for a moment there was nothing but the glassy, elegant gloss of it swirling across his vision.

And then it slipped away, as easily as it had come, the chill it had brought with it ebbing slowly. Nathaniel let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and flashed the detective lieutenant a smile.

"That's amazin'," he said truthfully. "This is amazin'. I've never seen anythin' like it."

He looked at Jeremiah again, open surprise on his face, and then laughed, giving a shake of his head.

"No, no," said Nathaniel quickly. "I'm not - not that good at anythin' like this. I don' reckon I could ever be."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"You're not giving yourself enough credit, Nathaniel." Jeremiah shook his head with a small smile. His hand flicked back towards the fountain and the water started to head back towards it, going back into it like it was a waterfall that had formed in mid-air.

"I can show you how to do something like this, if you'd like? It's like most things: the more you try, the more you practice, the better you become at it until it's just second nature."

kuropeco

 

[kuropeco]

Nathaniel, for the record, rarely gave himself any credit, except to say that he was a damn good student and a damn good gardener. But other than that...well, there was a lot to be desired, he thought, eyes still watching the water as it moved.

"What?" he asked, Nathaniel's brows drawing together in slight confusion. "Y'mean like, movin' the water and everythin'? I don't think I could do that just...just like that, could I?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"You absolutely could," Jeremiah replied, smiling just a touch more. The water was almost entirely gone back into the fountain save for a small amount that he called back. It hovered over his hand, a ball of it that was held towards Nathaniel.

"Magic answers you here, especially if you are strong willed. So if you want to do it simply do it. Exert your own will and command it."

kuropeco

 

[kuropeco]

Jeremiah's faith in him was pleasant, if not a little misplaced, Nathaniel thought, somewhat ruefully. He wanted to be able to do things like what the older man could do - wanted to do it more than he would ever admit - and yet he somehow knew that the chances of that were extraordinarily slim.

He reached out a hand, Nathaniel's fingers grazing the ball of water, skimming over the opalescent, twisting liquid.

"I don't know if I have a strong will," he said with a laugh. "Jus' a lot of stubbornness."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"In this case, that works just as well," Jeremiah told him with a smile. It was not entirely out of his place, not for Nathaniel, but it was still something that was worth noting as different.

The ball of water was held out towards Nathaniel, the older man raising it higher above his hand. "Just focus," he said, "on what you want the water to do. You can tell it with your mind and a gesture of your hand, if you want, just like water bending."

kuropeco

 

[kuropeco]

He couldn't help but smile a little at that, because in spite of everything, Jeremiah had always been supportive. He still remained one of the only people to have been there throughout some of the hardest periods of Nathaniel's life, which he appreciated perhaps more than he could say.

A laugh escaped him, Nathaniel shaking his head. "Well, it's certainly somethin'," he said, eyes flickering over the water. He stretched out a tentative hand towards it, a slight frown of concentration ebbing across his face.

His fingers fluttered unconsciously; a sort of disperse gesture, his mind attempting to do what Jeremiah had said and will the water to do something.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Jeremiah watched him, an encouraging smile on his face. The water, with Nathaniel's attempt, seemed to spread out from his hand and ripple.

It wobbled over the older man's hand, seemingly as uncertain as the young man was himself.

"Keep going," he said quietly, "you're doing good."

kuropeco