2020-08-09 - What's A Boat For If Not Beer

Gray Harbor's docks crowd with sailing boats of various sizes and shapes. It's the season for sailing, and the bay is full of sails; most of them belonging to tourists but some, too, are locals. The small-ish sailboat that bobs against the quay right here probably belongs to a local; at least its owner sits on its deck with a very satisfied expression and a cold beer. He's a tall guy, blond and wearing only a pair of black cargo shorts -- but what draws the eye, really, is not so much that but the fact that he's got stripes. He's a skinny build with pale skin, and from the looks of him, he's been in a battle to the death with the largest stinging nettle on the planet very recently -- and yet he looks remarkably content with life.

The sound of a reasonably loud engine can be heard rumbling closer to the Bay. The docks themselves are busy, filled with boats of all sizes, but it doesn't look like there are many cars parked in the available spaces just inland. As a result, Li's loud (and very old) van has a lot of space to find a nice, clean park. Driving into one of these spaces, the elderly man turns off the engine and just... sits. With both hands on the steering wheel, his tired eyes look ahead of him, through the windscreen and towards the salty water just beyond. For the longest while he just sits there unmoving, before finally getting out. Slamming the door shut (mostly because he needs to on such an old thing), Li sticks his hands the pockets of his thick jacket and wanders towards the docks. Unlike the European, he is dressed quit heavily: jeans, shirt, jacket and shoes. Yep, even his black shoes look more like boots than regular sneakers.

With a slow shuffle he wanders down the docks, feeling the nice feeling of salt air wash breeze against his skin. Eventually of course he notices Ravn, having walked far enough to be within his vicinity. The bare-chested figure with some sort of exposed striped injury gets a curious look if nothing else. "...hm."

The man on the boat must be a friendly fellow or his morning mood is just that good. When he notices, eventually, the other man glancing his way, he raises one hand in a lazy wave. He's a tall, skinny guy in his late twenties or early thirties; not the kind of sun tanned California surfer one might expect but then again, this is Washington State where skinny blond guys get famous for dressing poorly and singing about Teen Spirit (and eventually blowing their brains out with shotguns, but fortunately, boat guy doesn't seem to have come quite that far on his personal journey yet).

"Hey there," he says good-naturedly and indicates the boats moored around the one that he's sitting on deck of with his head. "One of these babies yours?"

The man has an accent; European of some sort -- the kind that probably wishes it qualified for a job at the BBC but can't quite get there.

Li doesn't immediate reply to Ravn, though he does continue looking at him in a bit of a creepy way. Perhaps he is just wondering what happened to miss out on that BBC job? Eventually, with another shuffle forward so that he stands on the end of the dock, he shakes his head mildly. "No. I don't own any boat." His own accent is clear. It's not a nice, sexy European voice, but an old, withered Chinese one. And given how strong it is, it suggests that he's a very new arrival not only to this town, but to this country. "You live here long?" The English sounds semi-broken, but likely good enough. "You have strange sunburn on chest." Pulling out a hand, the older man points at the 'sunburn'. Just, you know. In case Ravn had somehow not noticed that he had it.

"Haven't even been here two weeks yet," the European guy says and laughs softly. "And yeah -- turns out the sea kelp here's got a bit of a sting. I'm a bit of a tourist, didn't know kelp could do that."

He shoots the other man a sympathetic look; there's a definite element of one outsider to another in there. Then he holds up another can of beer, this one not opened. "Come on out. She's new in the water but she's not sinking. And I've got a spare beer."

Li's expression doesn't really change. He looks neither happy or sad. Just... neutral? Resting sad face, maybe. But his skin was starting to sag these days, so he's probably not ACTUALLY sad. Well, maybe. That expression doesn't change even when he's informed about the attacking sea kelp, though he does shift a glance to the sea as if he's taken it quite seriously. "It has been a long time since I have been on a boat." Yet that doesn't stop him, as he takes up Ravn's invitation and boards the vessel. Taking the can of beer on offer, the older figure cracks it open and takes a gentle sip. His face sours a little, but not so much that he politely puts it down.

"You have been here only two weeks? And already own a big boat like this? You must have found good job. Mm. Very good job. I have been here three days." Holding up three fingers to signal such, Li does a small tour of the boat. It's just a slow, haunched walk. As he nears the edge of the boat, he looks down into the water.

"Stinging sea kelp on this beach?"

"Oh, no, I'm only renting her. She's an older model, from the 1970s, and the owner had sort of given up on getting the smell of pot out of her furnishings. Took me all week, I tell you." The European guy shudders. "I really don't want to know what the previous guy who rented her actually did with her. But I'm pretty certain that it involved a lot of liquor, pot, and girls."

It is indeed not a big boat. A King's Cruiser 33 for those who happen to be in the know about sailing boats, she's a smallish affair -- berths two people, four if they're rather good friends. A kitchenette, but no shower or bathroom facilities. Ocean-going, if you know what you're doing and don't mind spending a lot of your time being very wet. Definitely not a big, luxurious leisure boat like some of the catamarans and yachts moored further out.

"I've never heard of stinging kelp before," the blond man confirms and looks down at the rope-burn like markings on his body. "I'm not going to lie, it hurt like hell. Hello, my name is Ravn. Pleased to meet you." He pronounces it something along the lines of Raown -- which probably is about as easy to spell for an Anglophone as any Chinese name would be.

After doing a quick tour of the vessel, not commenting on what he thinks that youngsters would be doing in a place like this, he nods curtly in response to the introduction. Taking another sip of beer and swishing it down, his walk comes to a rest not far from where the tall Ravn stands. "Good to meet you, Ravn. I am Li." There isn't a great deal of complication about that name! "I have also not heard of stinging kelp, but I will be sure not to go for any swims." There is a small smile at that, the first change of expression he's made since boarding. "It is a very nice boat, Ravn." To Li's credit, he doesn't butcher the name too badly. It's a solid first effort!

"You come to Gray Harbor for holiday?" With another sip of his beer, his eyes lift up to look at Ravn clearly. "Are you sailing down the coast?"

"I came through more or less by accident," the European says with a small, sheepish grin. "I was hitch-hiking towards Portland. Got into an argument with the truck driver. Ended up tossed off at Main Street here. I like the place, though, so I figure I'll be staying for a while. There's a lot going on, and people here seem awful nice."

He glances at the sail, neatly rolled up in its protective wrapping along the beam, safely secured, and smiles lightly. "I think that when I do go, though -- I might see if the guy who owns the Vagabond is willing to sell her, rather than rent her out. And maybe see where the current takes me. What about you? Playing tourist, seeing this crazy big country one state at a time too?"

Li nods in understanding at what Ravn says, seeming to follow along with his words. When asked what he is doing here though, he pauses in response to consider what he should say. Exhaling some air from the bubbly beer, he casts a glance to the ocean, before back at Ravn. "If I said I am here because of Veil and Glimmer, do you know what that means?" The question seems quite pointed, and almost sudden. He doesn't really continue on from there though, because the real answer to Ravn's question depends on how he answers his.

The other man hesitates a moment -- and then nods slowly. "I don't know much about it. But I have seen some things. I guess those things are... part of what makes me stay around too. Wanting to find out more. You too, huh."

"I am here because of Veil." Li confirms. "Travel around world, spend all my money to try and find places closest to it. Gray Harbor last on my list of places and closest to Veil by far." More of the beer is drunken, the taste becoming better the more of it he drinks. Ah, alcohol. You old rascal. "I am trying to find people who know a lot about it, or people who are have strong abilities that can help me out." The elderly figure smiles.

"For you to land here without knowing anything about it, and then learn about it. That is lucky, hm? I see Glimmer in you. You sparkle sometimes when you speak."

"So they tell me. I mean, I'd never heard of any of this two weeks ago." Ravn sips his beer too. He doesn't seem upset; fascinated would be a far more appropriate word. A whole new world opening to him. "I'll say this for Gray Harbor -- it feels like coming home. Like I have been going somewhere all my life, and now I finally have found out where that somewhere is. Just took me a while to get here, I mean -- from the other side of the planet. Somebody told me it's not a coincidence at all though -- the place draws people in."

He backtracks slightly and looks at the other man with renewed interest. "Wait, there are other places like this? Just not as strong?"

"Lots of other points." Li confirms again with a nod, finishing off his beer with one last drink. "I do not know of them all, but I have been to a few. Sicily, Italy. Germany. Japan. Many other places too if rumours and gossip to be believed. They are hard to track down though. Maybe some are closer, but I have not felt them. Gray Harbor certainly feels the closest." Putting the empty can on whatever is closest, either a bench or table, the Chinese man sticks his hands back into the pockets of his heavy duty jacket.

"Close to Veil is not always a good place to be, but I am happy you feel settled. Have you found people to learn off of?"

"Germany, huh. Could have saved myself a hell of a trip, then -- I'm from Denmark." Ravn grins but honestly doesn't look like he's very sorry to have to have come halfway around the planet. Then he sort of half-nods. "In a manner of speaking. There are some people who are trying to explain things to me. They do keep telling me to learn more, but I'm honestly not quite sure how to go about it. They also warn me not to try to do -- things. Because it apparently attracts bad things."

His blue-grey eyes light up. "So, you can do -- things too. Everyone here seems to have all kinds of amazing abilities. I've met people who talk without words. A girl who can glue a man to a chair with his own clothes. Another who can heal injuries just by touching them. It's... really bloody awesome. Humbling for sure, but awesome."

"Yes, practice is hard." Li mulls at that thought. "Practice makes perfect, but practicing draws ire of bad men. I do not know who they are... but they reach out. In dreams." The confused expression on Li's face indicates that he doesn't really know much about all of that. "I have collected information as best I could, but I feel like here I will learn much more." Mulling about a little, Li starts to make his leave. Heading for the bridge back over to the docks, he crosses it and back onto the wooden pier.

"Thank-you for the talk and drink, Ravn. It is good to meet another newcomer to Gray Harbor. Maybe I will see you around town?"

"We can be clueless together for sure," the European grins. "Although you seem to be less clueless than I am. Come out anytime you feel like a beer and some seagull watching."

He doesn't get up; but then, in fairness, there are no doors to open to let a guest 'out'. With a lazy wave, Ravn goes back to watching the sea and thinking about how much of a success he actually wasn't, impersonating a giant tuna in that dream last night. Who knew tuna can't fight their way out of a kelp forest, for one.