[sup][right][color=darkgray]Timestamp: 12:30pm, after [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5598574]Magic Beyond The Horizon[/url]
Location: Open Waters, The Tia
[color=00674F]Grayson Kaplan[/color] and [color=tan]Koa Chen[/color]
[@Aces Away] and [@Sadie][/color][/right][/sup]

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[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/f25244fa-f472-44e7-8e0a-e1fef8f8caad.png[/img][/center]
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[indent][indent][color=lightgray]After Gray had successfully brought the Tia into open waters, he graciously returned control of the helm over to Bones and went off to do his post-departure rounds and got to work reschooling his glowing grin back into a softer professional smile. He’d just finished his final task and was fixing the crooked collar of his CAP polo when he saw a face behind him in the dark reflection of one of the Tia’s outer windows. With a small smile still on his face, he straightened up a bit and turned around to greet the man who had appeared, their first chance to really chat since before Calico Jack’s last night. 

Gray had been there with Kori when she was going over applications and Koa Chen’s resume popped up on the screen, triggering a memory in the back of his mind of a phone call from one of his old buddies from his crew. He’d updated Gray on what he was missing in the car and racing scenes back home and in the surrounding states, and mentioned a new rising star on the scene. He’d said the kid’s driving reminded him of Gray’s, and he wanted to see the two race one day. Gray had been particularly annoying to Kori about accepting the younger man as a general guide, but she never would have done it if she hadn’t planned to bring him in in the first place, really. He saw Koa as his chance to actually leave someone competent- and of a like mindset when it came to a love and knowledge of cars- in his spot as the ground travel guide. 

He knew it was his last season with CAP as a programee, much as it pained him to think about, and pretty much everyone but Kori had been pestering him the last two years about finding a replacement to train for his position. The kid didn’t know it yet, but Gray had an unfair amount of hope riding on his shoulders for Koa to be his successor.

[color=00674F]“Hey man,”[/color] He greeted as he stretched his arms across his chest, tone inviting. [color=00674F]“How’d your first cast off feel?”[/color]

Everything had been absolutely mind-boggling. He couldn’t believe there were actual real celebrities joining them and he was expected to be their guide. Koa had never been a guide before, nor had he actually had to work one-on-one with customers, so he had absolutely zero clue what was to be expected of him. He knew he had been accepted as a general guide and he would be working directly under Grayson, but what did all of that entail? Could he really perform as required? Was this a bad idea in general?

Thankfully he didn’t have much time to ponder on that question before the group was finally allowed on board and prepared for the open water. As the ship broke through the water, great memories from back home flooded his brain. Koa missed Korea immensely and loved working with his family on the popular beaches. The water was second nature to him and it brought him a great sense of calming. Besides cars, this was his second love. He was absolutely where he needed to be. 

After the initial departure, Koa noticed the rest of the crew members getting to work. Right. It was time to find his mentor. Clearing his throat, he went off in search of Grayson. It didn’t take him long to find the man. Thankfully he seemed to notice him as well. With a bright grin, Koa nodded his head and rocked back on his heels. [color=tan]“Amazing. Still can’t believe I’m out here. And with you. You’re awesome, by the way. I totally look up to you, man. You’re an inspiration, truly.”[/color] It suddenly dawned on him that he was rambling. With a nervous chuckle, he raked a hand through his hair. [color=tan]“Sorry. I’m being completely lame. Just, uh. Big fan.”[/color]

[color=00674F]“Oh,”[/color] Gray blinked, cheeks reddening from the sudden flattering praise as he reached up to scratch at the back of his neck in habit. He’d been wondering if the younger man knew of him from his races, Grayson [i]had[/i] been on the scene from a young age; between the loss of their father, Jason’s deployment, and Bubbe Roseman’s old age, it hadn’t been hard for a young Grayson and the other neighborhood kids to act up just a little more than was usually for their age. He’d had plenty of people come up to him on the scene and lose their filter gushing, and as a teen it had been quite an ego trip, but to have someone approaching him about it at CAP with such a bright look in their eyes? Something felt different about that. 

Here was someone who started racing years after Grayson’s final arrest and subsequent withdrawal from the streets, states away from his stomping grounds, and the name Grayson Kaplan, Kappy, still stirred excitement in his heart. Maybe it wasn’t the [i]best[/i] way to start off as a role model for someone- [i]stealing cars, boosting them, racing them and inevitably ending up in a police cell for wrecking a cop car with his own to make sure his friends all got away safe[/i]- but it was [i]Gray’s[/i] way, and his life up until this point, all of it, was what made him such a great guide.

[color=00674F]“That’s not lame, kid,”[/color] Grayson finally assured, dropping a firm hand onto Koa’s shoulder and catching his eyes so he knew he meant it. [color=00674F]“I appreciate hearing that my name still means something out there, yeah? And you lookin’ up to me just means I gotta step up properly as your mentor, that’s all,”[/color] he tilted his head and released Koa’s shoulder, turning and walking to the railing to lean on it and look out over the water. [color=00674F]“I know you’re a general guide, but you’re one of the only people to come through here with similar experience to me and my specialty, so I hope you don’t mind me imparting some knowledge on you, even if you end up not taking Ground Guide and the position folds for a few seasons. You good with that?”[/color]

It reassured him that he hadn’t made a complete fool of himself to his idol. Letting out a breath, an immediate grin crossed his features as he met the man’s look. Koa really couldn’t believe that Grayson Kaplan was going to be his mentor this season. How in the heck had he gotten so dang lucky? The guy’s at the shop wouldn’t believe this for a second. He blinked as the man suddenly moved away from him and walked over to the railing. He raised a brow as he listened to him. 

There was a chance for him to take the Ground Guide position? Wasn’t that Grayson’s? He suddenly remembered that this was the guy’s last season. Someone would have to take over for him. And- he was looking at Koa to be that person? Suddenly a lot of pressure settled on his shoulders. There was no way he’d be able to fill Grayson’s shoes. But, there was also no possible way that he was going to pass up this opportunity. He would take all of the information from this man that he could get.

Walking up to him, he stepped up to his side and leaned over the rail as well. [color=tan]“Yeah, I think I could be good with that. I mean, I could never be you, but I’ll make you proud.”[/color]

Grayson’s smile was tight this time as Koa’s words settled over him, sealing the beginning of the end for him as a CAPper. It was a bittersweet thing, and Gray was starting to feel the same finality in this season as Kori had last night. But he was glad that Koa had taken up the challenge, even if he needed some help with his confidence in the matter. Rooming with Koa isn’t going to be like rooming with Zen, or any of the other greenies he’s overseen since his time in CAP; it’s not going to just be checking in on him as an Old Hat or Bones’ bosun, Gray’s final season is going to be extremely busy between doing everything he can to train and Koa and taking care of all his normal duties as well.

None of this, of course, was Koa’s fault or doing, and honestly talking cars with a guy that knows the technical as well as the aesthetics was actually a godsend. Gray was ready for a steady night where they could just sit down and shoot the shit instead of be in work mode, because he wanted to hear about this kid’s life from the person himself, not phone calls from friends and cold, detached resumes. 

[color=00674F]“It’s chill,”[/color] He spoke up as he breathed in the misty breeze. [color=00674F]“I’m not trying to make you [i]me[/i], just pass on the torch. What you do with it after that is up to you,”[/color] Gray cracked his neck and fixed his collar again out of habit before giving Koa a reassuring smile. [color=00674F]“I really think you’ll like it here, kid, but don’t take that as pressure to have it all figured out right away. We’ve got the whole season, after all.”[/color]

His watch beeped an alert and Gray looked down at a message from Piper that filtered into his CAP App over the yacht’s wifi, huffing out a laugh at the blonde’s response to the guest info packet he’d sent her and the twins earlier today.

[color=ff2d60][i][u]u bitch. Fuck ur favor, u owe me almost a whole day of Lior time 🖕🏻[/u][/i][/color]

[color=00674F]“You get to know anyone last night at Jack’s?”[/color]

Koa was thankful that he didn’t have to necessarily fill Grayson’s shoes. He never thought he’d be able to, anyway. Taking a breath, he stared out over the ocean as he pondered everything. He was glad to be here. When he had sent in his resume, he hadn’t expected anything to come of it. His customer service skills were lacking, he had absolutely no experience with being any sort of guide. To any other recruiter, they would have definitely turned him down. Maybe even laughed at his application. It had been a complete shock when he got the call inviting him to join them. There had been no hesitation when he told his employer that he needed some time off. He wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip away.

At the man’s question, he thought back to the previous night and shrugged. It hadn’t really been that eventful for him, as he was the youngest of the group and not allowed to actually drink. Everyone else around him had seemed to get absolutely hammered. It had been great to witness the group in a relaxed manner; he knew once they all boarded the ship, it would be completely professional from here on out. But had he actually gotten to know anyone?

Scrunching his nose, he gave a small shake of his head. [color=tan]“Not really, no. A lot of dancing, sure. But actually getting to know someone? I think there was too much alcohol there for that.”[/color]

[color=00674F]“Fair enough,”[/color] Gray responded with a soft laugh. [color=00674F]“Everyone went pretty hard last night, and speaking from experience, it’s hard being one of the only sober ones. Zen calls it my Den Mom Duties,”[/color] A roll of his eyes followed the comment, but his smile was still there. [color=00674F]“But it’s alright, kid, you’ll get a chance to know everyone both on and off the clock, last night was just an ice breaker. Kinda like your first appearance on the scene, y’know? Some people use their first time to race and strike a name right away, others sit back for a few meets and observe then build their way to the top. Nothing wrong with either method and both types still manage to make a name for themselves.”[/color]

It was a bit funny, actually, as Koa had exploded onto the car scene yet had a silent entrance to CAP, whereas Gray had built his name in the scene from a very young age and then entered CAP rather explosively as he was still working through his teenage bullshit. Now, Gray’s a pretty calm presence and on his last leg of the program, and Koa was full of anxious energy and just getting his start. They were two very different people with two very similar skill sets, and Gray hoped he could help Koa thrive with his different perspectives and knowledge.

He really wanted to race him, too. 

[color=00674F]“You know, my buddy from the crew called me a bit ago raving about you,”[/color] Gray spoke honestly, hoping to start building Koa’s confidence right now. [color=00674F]“Said your driving reminded him of mine.”[/color]

Koa gave a slight nod of his head as he listened to the other man speak. It made sense what he was saying, but he knew for a fact that he had made a name for himself right away with the car scene. What he hadn’t expected was for that bit of information to reach all the way to Grayson Kaplan. Still, the car world didn’t necessarily mean he was great around people. That was a skillset that he had yet to work on. Hopefully his mentor could really help him out in that aspect.

Ever since his first race, he continuously had people coming up to him and offering to drive alongside him. Some of those instances ended in a great number of pink slips in his pockets. He began to think if Grayson had ever heard of him before his application. Probably not. Though, the man’s next statement caught him completely off guard. Somebody had spoken about him?

Blinking, Koa looked over at Gray and raised a brow in question. [color=tan]“Really? Someone’s heard of me?”[/color]

[color=00674F]“Someone? Kid- Koa,”[/color] Grayson stared his fellow racer straight in the eyes so that the other could see his own incredulousness at the question. When [url=https://coveteur.com/media-library/trevor-jackson.jpg?id=25293908&width=1245&height=700&quality=90&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0]Bernard “Burnout” Anderson[/url] calls Gray to rave about someone, they’ve done more than just gotten ‘heard of’, and here Koa was seeming shocked despite Gray knowing he’s done great on the scene so far. [color=00674F]“Burnie literally called me after he crossed four state lines just to see you in a race after word spread of you…d’you know how good your rep has to be to get one of my guys excited enough to [i]travel[/i] to you?”[/color] This wasn’t even for the younger man’s ego anymore, Gray was genuinely surprised by Koa’s seeming lack of belief in his own presence and reputation. It’s very rare to meet anyone with so much skill and confidence behind the wheel that isn’t reflected in their everyday personality as well. In fact, Burnie’s older sister [url=https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D2wk1OvWwAYHXc2.jpg:large]Alvira[/url]- [i]nicknamed Bondo as she was always finding new ways to fix things they’d messed up[/i]- had gone to Minnesota with him and voiced her disbelief that Koa hadn’t already begun to form his own crew. Now, Gray was starting to understand.

[color=00674F]“I’ll tell ya what, kid,”[/color] Gray laughed good naturedly and slung an arm over Koa’s shoulders, giving him a friendly jostle. [color=00674F]“Let’s start on human interaction and build our way up to the car shit that you mostly already know, yeah?”[/color] He turned them both around and got them walking towards the more active areas of the Tia, knowing a few crew mates and even a guest or two that would be more than happy to help Koa out of his shell.[/color][/indent][/indent]