Nexus Summer Beachparty Twenty Twenty One! [Archive]

Rebonack

2021-08-16, 12:57 PM

It's that time again!

Time to celebrate the passage of summer with a fantastic party on the beach! But with one very, very important twist this time around.

This?

Is a night time beach party. Why? Mostly because there hasn't been a moonlit beach bonfire before and definitely it has nothing to do with the Nexus recent influx of sunlight allergic vampires. Nope. Nothing to do with that at all.

The sky is clear, the stars are shining, and bioluminecent ripples shimmer in the darkness with each wave that laps against the shore. Several large bonfires have been set up for roasting hot dogs, marshmallows, and other tasty treats. And thanks to Trog's Tavern helping to sponsor the event this year a drink slash sandwich bar has been set up to serve the party-goers with beverages and snacks alike! Will Zee be manning the bar this year? Or will the apprentice bar-tender Selekhael be wetting her teeth on this event? Stay tuned to find out!

Speakers have been set up and music plays, a pleasant background noise mingling with the sounds of the sea. A volleyball net has likewise been readied with the extra fun distinction of employing a glow in the dark net and ball! Just don't smack into each other in the dark, right?

So drop by, nab a drink, get some food, tell a campfire story, float in the luminous sea, and have fun with this year's summer beach bash!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well would you look at that.

It's little Khannie Vallarm running down the dunes toward the surf in a one-peace girl's swim suit with a great big beach towel flapping behind her like a cape.

The last time she went to one of these parties it was weird because she was still a pokemon and her gift from Grandpa Koi had broken and she was trying to disguise herself and just ugh. It sucked the fun out of the whole thing. But this time- THIS TIME! She's ready to-

She stops and gasps when she spies the luminous surf gently lapping against the sand.

"Holy BEANS it's so pretty! ZEBES! Zebes do you know why the water's glowing?" she shouts at her father's familiar that is no doubt nearby.

If Khannie has learned anything over the years it's that Zebes has got all the answers.

bc56

2021-08-16, 02:24 PM

What's that you say?
Zee's not manning the bar?
Selekhael is there instead? Where's Zee?
Zee's apprentice (sort of) looks very nervous. This is her first time serving at an event like this. She's got black hair in a shoulder length ponytail, and she's wearing a variation of her customary blue dress and Trog's apron, this one a little shorter skirted so it doesn't drag in the sand, but still plenty long enough to not be scandalous to her sensibilities. She's a normal human, definitely not anything unusual, just like her mentor/surrogate mother.

Meanwhile...

A nine-tailed fox girl lounges by the fire in a green bikini. Jade's here, and although she can't swim anymore, she can still enjoy herself at the beach. Were it daytime, she'd be out getting a tan, but since it's night, she's spread her towel where she can just soak up the heat of the fire and relax. A large pina colada rests on the sand next to her, and she takes occasional drinks. It tastes a bit funny though. Did the barmaid leave something out by mistake?

Meanwhile...

Two lizardmen are here. One is seated by the fire watching the other carefully. That other one, more a lizardboy than a lizardman, at least for now, looks about 11 and is splashing about in the glowing surf happily. Kothar and Achuak, paladin and son, are here. They're both good swimmers who enjoy the water, so a party like this is a natural place for them to be.

Ironsmith

2021-08-16, 04:31 PM

Kyrie had come, of course, and all three of his charges with him. When he'd heard this party was rather pointedly being done at night, he decided it would be rude not to come if invited. After checking that the Blood Moon was still far, far off in the future, of course.

Kyrie himself is dressed to be on the beach, but not out in the water. He's wearing a sleeveless, paint-stained shirt and grey cargo shorts, quite possibly the most aggressively casual outfit he could muster.

Owena had gone a more showy route, arriving in a black bikini, if a rather conservative one. This had been the result of a compromise between herself and her uncle; Kyrie worried about her attracting too much unwanted attention, while Owena insisted the swimwear flattered her and she should be allowed at least one such outing. If anyone got close enough to her, they'd probably still be able to smell the dog hair from when they settled their differences and hugged it out.

Siana arrives in a simple one-piece swimsuit, which has a spiderweb pattern decaled onto it. She still has her cane, and probably isn't going to go swimming, but it's a beach party and nearly everyone else would be in swimwear. Why not her?

Arthfael shows up in red swim trunks and an old grey t-shirt, not nearly comfortable enough to go without the latter in public. He was also the only one of the quartet to bother with shoes; a pair of black flip-flops. No sandy soles for this partygoer.

Kyrie lays out a trio of ground rules for each of his charges before sending them on their way, turning to each of them for emphasis.

"No drinking." He says to Owena.
"No boys." He says to Siana.
"Stay where I can see you." He says to Arthfael.

And with that, the Ty-Maldwyns are loose on the beach.

Meanwhile, a distance away, Braeg had set up a little entertainment of his own. It was a Lesserwood clan traditional sport, the Cath Fili; a contest of wit between two feuding clan members, involving the impromptu composition of a poem. As the clan members were not allowed to use violence on each other, they would often turn to debate to settle their differences. The rules were simple; the challenger would go first, providing at least two rhyming lines, to which the defender would respond, which the challenger would then rebutt, and so on. After three such exchanges, the spectators would hold an informal vote to determine the winner. Aside from the use of force or mind-control magic, anything goes in this contest; intimidation, insults, magical embellishments, anything. Braeg himself is taking all comers, but the event itself is organized such that any two contenders who wish to verbally throw down, may.

He's a little disheartened to hear it referred to as a "rap battle", though.

Fenric

2021-08-16, 07:50 PM

Keiko arrives, eyes glowing red in the dark. She is wearing a bikini that doesn't honestly reveal anything more than her usual garments do, and heads over toward the bar.

bc56

2021-08-17, 12:54 AM

Bar
"Oh, uh, hi." The barmaid says to Keiko as she arrives. "Can I, uh, get you anything?" She looks really nervous. She keeps stacking and restacking glasses behind the counter. In other words, she definitely seems new at this. Her name tag reads "Selekhael."

Rebonack

2021-08-17, 09:53 AM

[Surf]

Just not surfing.

Khannie lays out her towel in the sand near one of the bonfires (just not quite so close as to risk it catching alight) and starts jogging off through the sand toward the water. She'll wave and call out, "Hi Arthfael!" to the vampire kid who is HOPEFULLY going to be less of a stick in the mud. How could someone be so adverse to playing games, anyway? Maybe it's just a vampire thing. Anywho she'll be joining Achuak in the luminous waves! She laughs as she splashes through them, running her fingers through the glowing blue water.

"Haha this is so cool! Hey I'm Khannie Vallarm. Have you ever seen water do this before?"

Khannie sure hasn't.

This is a completely new experience for her.

She wades in up to her chest, giggling when a low wave nearly bowls her over.

This is so great she doesn't have to worry about people touching her on accident anymore!

Deathkeeper

2021-08-17, 10:02 AM

"It's probably either bioluminescent algae or magical jellyfish or something." Zebes tells Khannie at her question. He is here to supervise Khannie and keep her from getting herself killed or overusing her magic and dying.
He also thinks that this reminds him a lot of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2 but he does not say that to Khannie because he knows that would not go over well.
"You know this place looks a lot like that one beach in Kingdom Hearts 2." there, much better.

Fenric

2021-08-17, 11:37 AM

Keiko grins, which may or may not be reassuring

Sure! I'll just have a Fox Cola for now, thanks.

She puzzles at the nametag for a bit

"Selekhael"? Did I say that right?

A muzzle can make pronouncing sounds from human languages challenging enough, but add the fact that the foxes frequently use sounds well above human hearing and it gets downright difficult. Then mix in words based on languages they aren't familiar with... it's probably not all that close.

Ironsmith

2021-08-17, 11:54 AM

[Surf]

Was that...?

"H-hey, Khannie." Arthfael greets, getting up and going after her. Sure, she could be a bit fanciful at times, but Khannie was good company for events like this. At least, he thought she'd be. Reasonably so. Less awkward than hanging around his sisters, at any rate. Also, he didn't really see any of his other friends around here.

...Not that he had any other friends, mind.

Arthfael follows her down to the oceanfront and wades in up to his knees. He's not nearly as adventurous as she is, but the glowing water does look cool and he does enjoy being out in it.

This reminded him of something, too. What was it?

Oh, right!

"So, um... doesn't this look just like that one beachfront in one of the Pokémon games?" He asks, completely ignorant of Khannie's past and trying to make small talk.

[Party Plane Landing]

A distance up the beach, a familiar-looking shuttle touches down; far enough away that the disturbed sand won't, in turn, disturb anyone else.

Rose is the first to step out, wearing what was either a questionably legal swimsuit or the product of a few hours of work and a spare canister of dental floss. "Whoo! Party time!" She hollers, advancing on the festivities as quickly as she could go.

Vlad is right behind her, walking around in a pair of swim trunks that looked like they'd been converted from an old pair of jeans... and nothing else, which is a shame, because he isn't the type who looks good shirtless. He approaches the party with the same degree of enthusiasm, albeit a little more clumsily.

Next are Klaus and Eun, who are both wearing their usual outfits and appeared to be deep in conversation. Eun was wearing a pair of headphones; something to help with the noise, no doubt. Both of them will head straight for the bar, passing up the other guests in favor of free food.

Miranda will step out last, locking the shuttle door behind her. She's in a white bikini, which is cut in a way that shows off her well-toned build. Hey, it was a party, she could afford to flaunt and relax a little. As soon as the shuttle's secure, she heads down to the volleyball nets.

Earl of Purple

2021-08-17, 12:26 PM

Several other people arrive! Not in a group, but as individuals.

First, a young human-ish woman- maybe twenty or so- with pale skin tanned by sun on her face, arms and feet, black hair and grey eyes, wearing a green one-piece swimsuit that is open at the sides and back, leaving room for a pair of black-feathered auk wings with eyes in the central joint. She's missing the little finger on her left hand, and also her shadow- but the relative darkness of the night makes that harder to notice. Slung over one shoulder is a leather satchel with a stylised crow or jackdaw branded into the flap.

Next, another young woman, this one a half-elf and so harder to age, with short brown hair and skin the colour of polished oak, with green eyes. She's got a ring in the side of her nose and mismatched piercings in her ears, as well as a stud in her bellybutton. She wears a white bikini as she wanders close to the fires.

Finally, another young human woman with ash-grey skin, a shaved head and black-grey eyes. She's wearing a rather modest yellow one-piece swimsuit and a pair of sandals made from recycled tyres. She has a canvas bag slung over one shoulder. Unlike the others, she keeps away from the fires, instead heading over to the bar.

...

Elsewhere, somebody else arrives. She's also a half-elf, but much younger than the first; she seems about seventeen. Her hair is dark green, her eyes shift colour- currently they're a deep purple- and her skin is very pale, with no signs of tanning. She's wearing a white shirt over a black bikini, though relatively modest by the standards of such things. She's looking specifically for her girlfriend, who should be arriving soon.

bc56

2021-08-17, 12:43 PM

Surf
"Hi Khannie, Arthfael, I'm Achuak!" The lizard boy says. "I've traveled a lot with my dad, but I haven't seen anything like that."

Bar
That's a nice easy order. Selekhael pops a can of cola open, pours it into a glass, and hands it to Keiko. "Not quite, but, uh, you can call me Sek if you prefer." Then three more people arrive. The bald woman and the other pair talking to each other. "Uh, hi, can I get you anything?"

Ironsmith

2021-08-17, 12:57 PM

[Bar]

"One rum and one root beer, if you please." Klaus says offhandedly to Selekhael, before turning his attention back to Eun. "I'm just saying, you haven't had a date in years. Once things get settled in VIGIL, you should start putting yourself out there again."

"...Right. This coming from the most committedly-single man I know." Eun points out. "How did you put it? 'I'd rather be dragged over a bed of superheated salt razors'?"

"That's different. I don't have those kinds of interests. But I've broken into your hard drive way too many times to think the same about you."

Eun blushes profusely, but says nothing.

"I know you don't like to admit it, but you're lonely. You really aren't happy without someone to spend time with. Someone who'll geek out with you over all those little discoveries you make."

"Like you."

Klaus shrugs. "...To a point. But trust me when I say, as much as I don't want a relationship, you'll want a relationship with me even less. So go on out there and find some guy to suit your needs. Or some girl. I won't judge."

Fenric

2021-08-17, 01:01 PM

[Bar]

Keiko grins as she deposits the appropriate coinage plus tip on the counter.

That's easy enough! Thanks, Sek!

then she takes her drink and looks around to see if there's anyone she recognizes...

Oh, there's Khannie way over there in the water already.

she looks around some more to see if there's anyone else who might be closer.

Rebonack

2021-08-17, 01:12 PM

[Surf]

"I wish more algae glowed in the dark it looks really cool," Khannie says back to Zebes. "I bet lots of video games use glowing beaches like this because they look really pretty."

Khannie is great company! She's smart and imaginative and adventurous! Those are all great qualities to have in company. Just look at her having fun! Scoop up a handful of water and toss it into the air, watching it glitter like ghostly blue stars in the night sky. Then? She frowns when pokemon games are brought up.

"Um... I, uh, I didn't ever play any of the pokemon games," she admits. "So I wouldn't know."

And her village wasn't anywhere near the glowing beach Zebes is thinking of.

That's probably for the best.

Otherwise the beach would remind her of that place and it would be way less fun for her.

"What was it like where you came from?" Khannie asks the young vampire. "Were there any glow in the dark beaches there?"

Then?

Time to smile at Achuak. "I saw one of my friends playing a game once where they went underground into this place full of giant glowing mushrooms. The water sort of glowed but it wasn't anything like this!"

She swirls her arms in the water, the motion causing flashes of ghostly blue light.

"I wonder why they do that? Uncle Zebes thinks its algae or maybe jellyfish, but I don't see any-"

A luminescent comb jelly, its flanks flashing with rainbow iridescence, begins is scooting through the shallow water nearby.

Ironsmith

2021-08-17, 01:49 PM

Keiko grins as she deposits the appropriate coinage plus tip on the counter.

That's easy enough! Thanks, Sek!

then she takes her drink and looks around to see if there's anyone she recognizes...

Oh, there's Khannie way over there in the water already.

she looks around some more to see if there's anyone else who might be closer.

[Bar]

Braeg casually sits down next to Keiko. "One Bloody Carny, hold the vodka." He says to Selekhael. The order was total nonsense, intended to keep her occupied while Braeg chatted up Keiko. He didn't much care what she actually brought back.

"Well, well. Look who's graced us with an appearance." Braeg says with a smirk. "Evening, Keiko. How's the temple been treating you?"

[B]Surf
"Hi Khannie, Arthfael, I'm Achuak!" The lizard boy says. "I've traveled a lot with my dad, but I haven't seen anything like that."

[Surf]

"I wish more algae glowed in the dark it looks really cool," Khannie says back to Zebes. "I bet lots of video games use glowing beaches like this because they look really pretty."

Khannie is great company! She's smart and imaginative and adventurous! Those are all great qualities to have in company. Just look at her having fun! Scoop up a handful of water and toss it into the air, watching it glitter like ghostly blue stars in the night sky. Then? She frowns when pokemon games are brought up.

"Um... I, uh, I didn't ever play any of the pokemon games," she admits. "So I wouldn't know."

And her village wasn't anywhere near the glowing beach Zebes is thinking of.

That's probably for the best.

Otherwise the beach would remind her of that place and it would be way less fun for her.

"What was it like where you came from?" Khannie asks the young vampire. "Were there any glow in the dark beaches there?"

Then?

Time to smile at Achuak. "I saw one of my friends playing a game once where they went underground into this place full of giant glowing mushrooms. The water sort of glowed but it wasn't anything like this!"

She swirls her arms in the water, the motion causing flashes of ghostly blue light.

"I wonder why they do that? Uncle Zebes thinks its algae or maybe jellyfish, but I don't see any-"

A luminescent comb jelly, its flanks flashing with rainbow iridescence, begins is scooting through the shallow water nearby.

[Surf]

"Really? There're pretty good." Arthfael nods a greeting to Achuak.

"...Where I'm from? Um..." How was he supposed to explain that? He was a toddler when Maesda fell, and he remembered exactly none of the intervening time. "...I think so? Probably. Might be in a few places." He finally says, keeping it too vague to be contradicted.

Arthfael jumps about ten feet into the air when he sees the comb jelly and scurries back onto the beach. Ooooh no, he was not going to get stung by one of those brainless drifters.

Fenric

2021-08-17, 02:43 PM

[Bar]

Keiko smirks

Hello again.

She shrugs

This temple's pretty independant, really. There are enough lesser kami there that requests hardly ever need to go up the chain to a messenger. And what qualifies for "lesser" here would make folks in most places freak out, so they really don't need extra help all that often.
I suppose that's why my sisters send me: I can deal with the few things people actually need and they can just get on with whatever stuff they need to do.

No, they send Keiko to get her out of their hair.

Doesn't mean it isn't nice to get away from all the noise, sometimes. And while I'm pretty sure the Non-Interference Law doesn't actually matter here in the Nexus, it's a really great excuse to not listen if I'm not actually at the temple.

She chuckles and her eyes glow a bit brighter.

And who knows, maybe someone will want eating...

Ironsmith

2021-08-17, 03:15 PM

[Bar]

Braeg nods his understanding. "I see. Well, glad to hear things are going your way." He smirks. "Now, if you happen to be in a favor-granting mood..."

He gestures to the other party-goers. "We seem to be suffering from a minor lack of entertainment. No party is complete without some frivolity, wouldn't you agree?" He chuckles. "Fortunately, I brought along a little of my own; a traditional contest of wit, the Cath Fili. Unfortunately, it seems the other attendants are rather... intimidated by the only participant to have signed up yet. Which would be yours truly. And those who aren't seem to be a little put out by the lack of sign-ups, which I can hardly blame them for. And we need at least one pairing if we're to have any hope of drawing a crowd."

"Now, the ideal contestant would be someone who is quick with her words and clever in their arrangement, and in this particular case, someone who catches eyes and ears. Someone lovable and already renown." He gives her a coy smile. "Now, would you happen to know a quick-witted, strikingly beautiful priestess in a fetching bikini who might be willing to lend her voice to such a contest?"

Fenric

2021-08-17, 03:51 PM

[Bar]

Keiko looks at Braeg with a bemused expression

Another. Poetry. Contest. I swear: they chase me around.

And since I don't think you went through all that trouble to butter me up just to get me to recommend Mei, I'm gonna assume you want me to join in. But I'm no priestess, fine sir: I'm part of the administration, when you get down to it. And I never did get a change to introduce myself properly when you visited the temple.

She grins, and bows politely

Princess Keiko no Mae, daughter of the eight-headed demon shadow dragon-king Yamata no Orochi. Youngest sister of Tamamo no Mae, the Lady of Shadows: goddess of the Nogitsune. I'm a Messenger when I'm being an official part of the temple... "archangel", I suppose, but there are a lot of connotations of that word that really don't apply to me.

Her grin settles to a smile

So... tell me about this poetry contest of yours.

Recaiden

2021-08-17, 03:52 PM

Yet another person joins the party.

Anchor is a fairly short woman, with straight black hair, olive skin. She's got on a two-piece black swimsuit, a necklace of lion's teeth, and, as always, a pair of reflective sunglasses.
The shadows she casts in the flickering light of the bonfire don't look anything like her; they show someone taller, with a wild mane of hair, long claws, a waving tail. And beside that shadow is the shadow of a little bird, seemingly cast by nothing at all.

She heads slowly towards a bonfire, looking around to see who all has come to the celebration...

bc56

2021-08-17, 04:16 PM

Surf
"I've seen the light-mushrooms," Achuak confirms. "They grow in the deep dark wet places beneath the mountains. Dad has friends down there." But then he spies the jellyfish. Unlike Arthfael, he has no compunctious. He dives all the way into the water and swims after it. "Hahaha! Look at it! That's so cool!"

Bar
Rum and root beer is easy. Since he said those separately, Klaus must want them in separate glasses, right? Two glasses are passed to him a moment later.
Next, after a moment of confusion about what a bloody carny is, Selekhael realizes Braeg must have misspoke. He wanted a Bloody Mary, right?
She pours out a glass of tomato juice and mixes in some ground pepper and other spices, before handing the incorrect beverage to Braeg.

Ironsmith

2021-08-17, 05:18 PM

Keiko looks at Braeg with a bemused expression

Another. Poetry. Contest. I swear: they chase me around.

And since I don't think you went through all that trouble to butter me up just to get me to recommend Mei, I'm gonna assume you want me to join in. But I'm no priestess, fine sir: I'm part of the administration, when you get down to it. And I never did get a change to introduce myself properly when you visited the temple.

She grins, and bows politely

Princess Keiko no Mae, daughter of the eight-headed demon shadow dragon-king Yamata no Orochi. Youngest sister of Tamamo no Mae, the Lady of Shadows: goddess of the Nogitsune. I'm a Messenger when I'm being an official part of the temple... "archangel", I suppose, but there are a lot of connotations of that word that really don't apply to me.

Her grin settles to a smile

So... tell me about this poetry contest of yours.

[B]Bar
Rum and root beer is easy. Since he said those separately, Klaus must want them in separate glasses, right? Two glasses are passed to him a moment later.
Next, after a moment of confusion about what a bloody carny is, Selekhael realizes Braeg must have misspoke. He wanted a Bloody Mary, right?
She pours out a glass of tomato juice and mixes in some ground pepper and other spices, before handing the incorrect beverage to Braeg.

[Bar]

Braeg smirks. "If we're indulging our full titles... you might know me as Lord Braeg of Lesser Wood, Prince of Trickery, Baron of Mischief and Mayhem... and undisputed Grand Master of Cath Fili." He chuckles a little.

"Well, the actual rules are simple. Minimal, even." Braeg begins. "One contestant would issue a challenge to Cath Fili, by saying as much to the other, much as I have done wirh you." He gestures toward her with his hand for emphasis. "The defender, you, would then accept by telling me so. The challenger would begin, by giving at least two rhyming lines, like so:" He clears his throat.

"I said what I meant, meant what I said,
You are as lovely as the rose is red"

"And then the defender would respond, similarly. After three such exchanges, the spectators call out the name of their preferred victor. Whoever wins over more of the crowd, wins the game." He idly scratches at his beard. "Now, when it's your turn, you can do pretty much anything you want... you can choose to sing your lines, add in music, magic, and so on..." He twirls his hand and produces a rose, which he offers her. "...with the singular exception that you may not harm or mind-whammy the other contestant or any of the spectators."

"As you can imagine, as the go-to method of solving disputes in our clan, the Cath Fili has produced many styles and techniques among its players. You have some who are deliberately terse, to keep their opponent from having time to think. Then there are others who use insults to shake their opponent and prevent them from competing at all. Then there are those with middling poetic ability who put more emphasis on spectacle. There are joke-tellers and heart-breakers, illusionists and minimalists, and all of it subject to the whims of the crowd. I seem to even recall a certain precocious young man who would win his battles by serenading his opponent; a crowd pleaser and unbalancing, all at once." He smiles knowingly and grabs his Bloody Mary, which proceeds to slap him across the face, thanks to his curse.

"...Right." He sighs through his smile, squeezing the drink from his beard.

-----

Klaus looks up from his drink at the ashen woman walking toward the bar. "Hello, who's this?"

Eun ducks down under the bar suddenly, hands over her face.

Klaus raises an eyebrow. "What's that all about?"

"You remember. That woman I told you about, Felicity?"

"Oooh, right, the one you ghosted on and have been avoiding ever since?" Klaus smirks and turns to Salekhael. "Go ahead and pour us another rum."

"...No." Eun shakes her head. "I know what you're thinking, don't do it."

"Hand's going up." Klaus smirks, raising his hand.

"Don't you dare-"

"Hand's waving." Klaus smiles and waves Felicity over.

"Niklaus Irving Quire, you stop that right n-"

Fenric

2021-08-17, 05:31 PM

Keiko nods politely, her eyes clearly betraying that she hasn't the slightest idea what Braeg's main title really means (though the rest sound fun). She takes the rose with a smile, and she looks sympathetic as he is accosted by his own beverage.

Sorry... I guess the divine favor tails off a little this far from the temple proper.

Um, so sure: I accept. Can't promise I'll be great at this - I am the youngest of the princesses which means I spent a lot of the court parties trying to avoid my turn in the poetry contests. And Myobi never has anything nice to say about my attempts at the full moon parties. And ours weren't usually couplets, so that's going to take some adjusting.

Then, something entirely unhelpful for her concentration happens: she spots Anchor, which is another name for...

[B]LEAH! LOOK OVER THERE! LEAH IS HERE! HEY LEAH!

Keiko's tail flat-out wags as she waves her hand wildly to try to get Anchor's attention, Braeg's contest utterly forgotten for the moment.

Earl of Purple

2021-08-17, 06:23 PM

Bar

Felicity is waved over and approaches Klaus and Dr. Eun. "Hi, I'm Felicity- what're you doing down there, Eun? Did you drop something?" Felicity frowns and looks down to see if she can see anything down there that could have been dropped.

Towards the Bonfire

Oh, that's odd. Jack feels... drawn over there. It's been a while, but she follows, and she sees Anchor and her shadow and heads over, a frown on her face.

Ironsmith

2021-08-17, 06:54 PM

[Bar]

Keiko nods politely, her eyes clearly betraying that she hasn't the slightest idea what Braeg's main title really means (though the rest sound fun). She takes the rose with a smile, and she looks sympathetic as he is accosted by his own beverage.

Sorry... I guess the divine favor tails off a little this far from the temple proper.

Um, so sure: I accept. Can't promise I'll be great at this - I am the youngest of the princesses which means I spent a lot of the court parties trying to avoid my turn in the poetry contests. And Myobi never has anything nice to say about my attempts at the full moon parties. And ours weren't usually couplets, so that's going to take some adjusting.

Then, something entirely unhelpful for her concentration happens: she spots Anchor, which is another name for...

[B]LEAH! LOOK OVER THERE! LEAH IS HERE! HEY LEAH!

Keiko's tail flat-out wags as she waves her hand wildly to try to get Anchor's attention, Braeg's contest utterly forgotten for the moment.

Braeg sighs and just wipes his face down. Hopefully, Keiko would still be this enthusiastic after stopping to gush over this Leah person. He settles in and decides to just watch events unfold for now.

Bar

Felicity is waved over and approaches Klaus and Dr. Eun. "Hi, I'm Felicity- what're you doing down there, Eun? Did you drop something?" Felicity frowns and looks down to see if she can see anything down there that could have been dropped.

Eun sits there in stunned silence for a moment, looking up at Felicity, wide-eyed and quite clearly internally terrified.

Klaus clears his throat. "Doctor Bu... my Old Earth etiquette is a little rusty, so I could be wrong, but I believe the proper seating at a bar is on the stool."

Right. She should fix that. Eun stands up and moves back into her seat.

"While we're on the subject, I believe the appropriate protocol at this point would be to offer our new guest a seat." He stands up and gestures toward his stool, surrendering it to Felicity. "Here you are, miss. You can have mine. I won't be staying."

Eun gives him a look somewhere between abject terror and cold fury. Klaus was leaving them alone?!

Oh, she was going to kill him.

Recaiden

2021-08-17, 06:55 PM

It still gets Anchor's attention when people mention other people named Leah, thinking for a moment that that's her.
Plus she knows that voice. So she turns away from the bonfire.

"KEIKO!"
And flatly runs across the beach towards the [Bar], where she'll promptly wrap her arms around the princess in a hug.

"Ah, you're here, I mean, you're really here!"

Her shadows, unperturbed by the excitement, keep heading closer to the bonfire.
Oh, there's Jack - they know Jack! The shadow lifts a hand and waves, broad and deliberate in its movements.

I wonder if the bird part would fly back to its original partner, or stay somewhat aloof?

Fenric

2021-08-17, 07:36 PM

[Bar]

Keiko wags even more at her step-daughter's hug, and she is so very excited

Yes, yes! I'm really here! Oh, man, it's so awesome to see you again! So many things to talk about: I went to this world with weird little kobold things that weren't kobolds but they lived in a little matriarchial village and they were trying to get rice so Inari sent them a messenger but that meant we got to have one too so they sent me and it was kinda fun and there was this chaos mage guy who did all sorts of stuff and we chased him through a really creepy version of the astral plane where this big scary chaos monster thing was and it turns out he had an evil chaos shadow kobold-thing matriarch with kobold-thing minions and there was a big fight and then they found a different village and started corrupting them and I've been really busy there.

Oh oh!

So, I was trying to help Khannie learn to cast charms, because all she could do was shadow-illusions, but I'm not so great at teaching and I decided to try posessing her and then casting while she watched but I didn't really think it through and we were out in the garden and this is Braeg: he was there and he thought something bad was happening so he exorcised me and oh my that was sucky but he got Khannie all mad and I withdrew the temple's blessings and the rocks and stuff started attacking him so I put it back and then Khannie went back inside and we got food and now there's a party and I was hoping you and maybe Cleo would come but Braeg was here and he's challenged me to a poetry contest and I think it's my turn.

She tilts her head

How's things?

Earl of Purple

2021-08-17, 08:11 PM

Bar

"Uh... sure. Bye, mister." Felicity didn't catch his name, and now he's off. She'll sit down, and turn to Eun, quite desperate to get something out before they get any further."I'm really sorry about that date. Geneva sent me to a world where everything was fire and I followed a bird which tried to get me eaten by a flaming hill-thing, but we didn't know that until after I'd left and changed back out of the protective clothing." The clothing wasn't exactly to protect Felicity from the fire; it was more to protect Felicity's modesty, though she's gotten used to finding herself naked with little warning. And also provide protection from anything that might have tried eating her, but Felicity didn't think of that then. "I should have let you know, but I forgot and also I checked my Vigil communicator and I don't think I have your information on it." Felicity looks a bit nervous and really sorry, then realises something. "You... forgot about it too, didn't you? You're trying to hide because you thought you'd stood me up accidentally." And this is also the point where Eun may realise that Felicity thought it was a date, not just two friends getting together for a meal.

Elsewhere

Now that is the question, isn't it? Jack's going to walk to the shadows and try to reach out to her own, to encourage it back to her, but... who knows what the shadow thinks? It's been with Anchor for a while now, has it seen all it wants to see and is happy to go back? Does it miss Jack? Does it enjoy its new life in the Skullfort doing whatever it is shadows do when Anchor isn't paying enough attention?

Ironsmith

2021-08-17, 09:17 PM

Bar

"Uh... sure. Bye, mister." Felicity didn't catch his name, and now he's off. She'll sit down, and turn to Eun, quite desperate to get something out before they get any further."I'm really sorry about that date. Geneva sent me to a world where everything was fire and I followed a bird which tried to get me eaten by a flaming hill-thing, but we didn't know that until after I'd left and changed back out of the protective clothing." The clothing wasn't exactly to protect Felicity from the fire; it was more to protect Felicity's modesty, though she's gotten used to finding herself naked with little warning. And also provide protection from anything that might have tried eating her, but Felicity didn't think of that then. "I should have let you know, but I forgot and also I checked my Vigil communicator and I don't think I have your information on it." Felicity looks a bit nervous and really sorry, then realises something. "You... forgot about it too, didn't you? You're trying to hide because you thought you'd stood me up accidentally." And this is also the point where Eun may realise that Felicity thought it was a date, not just two friends getting together for a meal.

[Bar]

(Un)fortunately, Eun is one of those people who would use "date" to refer to any generic outing; being out here in the first place was a "date", even though she hadn't brought a partner as such.

"...Yeah." Eun finally says, taking a deep swig of rum. Now that Felicity said it out loud, it sounded kind of silly. Childish, even. And this was within ten seconds of running into her again. Literally the first words out of Felicity's mouth were an apology.

And here she'd been, hiding under a bar, anxiously anticipating a reaction that was so far removed from reality it wasn't even funny anymore.

...God, she'd been a child. And that was worse than the stand-up in the first place. She almost wished Felicity would yell at her instead; at least then she would've had good reason to be nervous.

...Uh-oh. She's been sitting here staring at her rum for the past several minutes. Now Felicity was going to think she was mad. Which she wasn't. So she'd better say something quick, before the awkwardness ballooned any further out of control.

"...frenulum."

Goddammit. Work, brain!

Recaiden

2021-08-17, 09:47 PM

[Bar]

"Keiko, savior of the kobolds!" Anchor lets go of Keiko to strike a dramatic pose on her mom's behalf.

"Things are ... good."
"Zophiel came back from fighting evil paladins in a world without time, which I honestly didn't expect to ever happen. Then we teamed up to fight a fallen saint who was trying to drown a whole city." Also Selekhael and Benedict were there, but that's less important. "That's been a little weird."
"And I got a friend's memories back, and broke into hell, oh I mean, I have so many things to tell you about."
"Not to mention all the magic."

"Hi Braeg. Why do rocks attack you?"

[Elsewhere]

There have been a lot of exciting times traveling with Anchor's shadow. They've gone all around the Nexus, and to a couple other worlds besides. Battling villains, traveling to underwater cities, organizing a prisonbreak, journeying through time, murdering dark wizards. To this, a shadow can either decide "That's more than enough adventure, I want to go home", or they can decide "This - danger, heroism, new vistas, cool magic swords - this is the life!"
The other consideration is the freedom, the capability. Shadows like them can go places no human, nor even jackdaw, could reach. Follow their own hearts, and not always mirror their depth-having projection. Plus, they can get Anchor to change things in the 3-d world for them, to affect the cast of light and dark. Or they can do they easy thing and just follow Anchor's movements; a shadow feeling lazy has no particular need for its original object.

But whatever else it may feel, surely the shadow does miss Jack. It takes on humanoid shape and seems to stretch out a hand towards her.

Anchor's shadow saunters around to almost the other side of Jack, closer to the fire.

Rebonack

2021-08-17, 10:08 PM

[Surf]

"Wait the giant glowing mushrooms are REAL!?" Khannie gasps. "That's-! Okay maybe I should have guessed that since everything else is real in the Nexus. Even obviously pretend things like trucks."

Trucks were a fairy-type tale back in the pokemon world. A strange, mysterious artifact said to have been left behind by humans at some point in the distant past. No one knew what they were for, but legend held that if a pokemon was strong enough or clever enough to move one then a mew would appear to them.

Khannie watches the vampire LEAP out of the water and all the way to the shore. "Okay I'm giving that jump an easy eight out of ten but are you sure it stings? It looks weird and shiny and it doesn't do-"

The girl blows out her cheeks and does her best jellyfish undulation impression.

"-that thing."

Then the lizard lad dives under the water to catch it!

This proves to be extremely easy given that the creature isn't very fast and seems to be only dimly aware of what's going on around it at best.

It feels like grabbing a firm piece of jello. It also doesn't sting since comb jellies can't sting.

"There, see? Achuak is grabbing it and he isn't getting stung. You don't have to be afraid of one stingless jellyfish," Khannie argues.

Stingless it is, but it isn't one.

With his head under water Achuak will be able to see the rainbow rippling of HUNDREDS of comb jellies scooting into the shallows from deeper water. Before long the water will be absolutely alive with prismatic light.

Khannie's eyes go wide with wonder as the shimmering light beams up from the depths. Now that she knows what she's looking for her gaze turns one way down the beach, then the other. The whole sea is thrumming with light.

"Woah... They're so pretty... There's so many of them!"

Ironsmith

2021-08-17, 10:26 PM

[Bar]

As if in response to this, Anchor will hear the warning given off by Braeg's curse for the first time:

All creation, hear my plea,
This man is our enemy
He who speaks in only lies
Who steals daughters from their beds
Severs fathers from their heads
Commands dead again to rise
And ate hearts before my eyes

All creation, hear my cry
I condemn this man to die
Tie him down and flay his skin
Rip his black heart from his chest
Let the grave deny him rest
Doom this man for his sin
This blasphemer, traitor of kin!

Braeg waits a moment for Anchor to get the message, then sucks his needly teeth, producing an irate clicking sound. "By all means. Guess." He chortles ruefully.

[Surf]

Oh, sure. Act like it's safe because the kid with built-in scale armor wasn't getting hurt. Very smart, Khannie.

Arthfael sighs and stays up on the beach itself, staying away from where the comb jellies could get to him, despite their apparent harmlessness. Khannie was right about one thing, at least; they did look pretty.

"Hey guys. Whatcha doin'?"

Arthfael looks up as his big sister limps over to join the group. "Um... just enjoying the show, really."

bc56

2021-08-18, 12:00 AM

Surf
Achuak holds the unfortunate jelly out of the water. "Wow! That's so cool! Feel it, it's squishy!" He's only slightly distracted by the vast numbers that start showing up. "There's so many of them! They're pretty!"

Fire
Jade stands up shakily. She feels a bit funny. She takes a few steps away from her towel and has to sit down again. "Why ish thaa whorld shpinnig?" she slurs, "Wha whash in tha drink?" She falls onto her face on her towel and lies there for a few minutes before she realizes something. She's getting bored. She pulls her phone out, fumbles it a few times, and sends a text.

tristan you there
wany to hang out after i finisha the party?
I"m lonelu
To anyone looking on, she's one tipsy fox. And if they're paying attention, does she seem floofier than when she got here? It's probably just a trick of the light.

Rebonack

2021-08-18, 12:23 AM

[Surf]

Khannie looks straight at Arthfael.

And then, while maintaining eye contact to assert dominance, she reaches out with one finger and pokes the comb jelly.

*pbbt*

It is, in fact, squishy.

And it doesn't sting her.

"I wonder why they're out here all of a sudden," Khannie muses aloud as she bends over in the surf and scoops out one of the jellies herself. Its cillia feel a little tickle. "Maybe they eat something that comes out at night?"

Algae?

Plankton?

Tiny shrimp?

She has no idea!

"Its sides don't look as shimmery when it isn't in the water," she observes before dropping it back in with a plop. The odd animal begins scooting away but now it's kind of veering off to one side a little bit where she was handling it the most. "Oh no, I think I might have hurt it. I don't think they like getting picked up, Achuak."

[Drunk Texting]

After a few minutes Jade will get a text back.

I'll be out pretty late
A giant hermit crab showed up near Oar Grotto
I wanted to collect some samples before she toddles off into the abyssal plane again
Are you okay?
Normally your spelling is better

Fenric

2021-08-18, 08:51 AM

[Bar]

Keiko smirks

Great curse-poem, eh? But his neice or whatever put more than just that glamour in it: pretty impressive, really. He was comparing Khannie skills to his neice's and said that her teachers hadn't done a good job, and that's what got her all mad. I was still kinda shaken from the reaction sickness and let her angry get to me, so I yoinked his protection and there you go.

she shakes her head

Still not fair to compare a human with a weird soul jar thing to an actual magical person, in my opinion. And maybe now you've learned your lesson about thirteen year old girls, Braeg - you wanna see some solid displays of temper, go push their buttons. Every time, every species that follows the same basic developmental progression.

Recaiden

2021-08-18, 10:08 AM

[Bar]

"Yeah, pretty fair rhymes. But she sticks too tightly to the patternwhile ignoring the stress on words."
Anchor shakes her head.

"You killed your brother and ate his heart, is that right? I mean, that sounds like quite a story."

Keiko is right, but at the same time.
"It's not easy being a thirteen-year-old kid."

Ironsmith

2021-08-18, 11:07 AM

Surf
Achuak holds the unfortunate jelly out of the water. "Wow! That's so cool! Feel it, it's squishy!" He's only slightly distracted by the vast numbers that start showing up. "There's so many of them! They're pretty!"

[Surf]

Khannie looks straight at Arthfael.

And then, while maintaining eye contact to assert dominance, she reaches out with one finger and pokes the comb jelly.

*pbbt*

It is, in fact, squishy.

And it doesn't sting her.

"I wonder why they're out here all of a sudden," Khannie muses aloud as she bends over in the surf and scoops out one of the jellies herself. Its cillia feel a little tickle. "Maybe they eat something that comes out at night?"

Algae?

Plankton?

Tiny shrimp?

She has no idea!

"Its sides don't look as shimmery when it isn't in the water," she observes before dropping it back in with a plop. The odd animal begins scooting away but now it's kind of veering off to one side a little bit where she was handling it the most. "Oh no, I think I might have hurt it. I don't think they like getting picked up, Achuak."

[Surf]

Seeing this, Arthfael reluctantly makes his way back down the beach, toward Khannie and Achuak. He dips his toes back in the water and winces, finding it just a bit colder than he remembered.

Still. It was just water.

With little glowing things swimming around in it.

Arthfael wades in up to his waist, giving Khannie a look. "If I end up with hives because of this, I'm blaming you." He grumbles.

Hopefully, she can't tell that his pride's been wounded by being out-braved by a girl who was younger than him. That would be so embarrassing.

Of course, this did not go over his sister's head, and she sits there on the beach, giggling at her little brother's antics. She still keeps away from the water, though; her bad leg makes it difficult for her to swim, and she can't stand well up to her waist in seawater, either.

[Bar]

Keiko smirks

Great curse-poem, eh? But his neice or whatever put more than just that glamour in it: pretty impressive, really. He was comparing Khannie skills to his neice's and said that her teachers hadn't done a good job, and that's what got her all mad. I was still kinda shaken from the reaction sickness and let her angry get to me, so I yoinked his protection and there you go.

she shakes her head

Still not fair to compare a human with a weird soul jar thing to an actual magical person, in my opinion. And maybe now you've learned your lesson about thirteen year old girls, Braeg - you wanna see some solid displays of temper, go push their buttons. Every time, every species that follows the same basic developmental progression.

[Bar]

"Yeah, pretty fair rhymes. But she sticks too tightly to the patternwhile ignoring the stress on words."
Anchor shakes her head.

"You killed your brother and ate his heart, is that right? I mean, that sounds like quite a story."

Keiko is right, but at the same time.
"It's not easy being a thirteen-year-old kid."

[Bar]

"First; the comparison was favorable." Braeg says with a shrug. "Saying she reminded me of my niece was a compliment of the highest order. Second..." He turns to Anchor. "Not exactly, no. 'Heart-eater' is a poetic term in our clan used to describe someone with fleeting passions. I believe the common-tongue equivalent would be something like 'heartbreaker', 'maneater' or 'womanizer', depending on the context. And the man I killed was what you might call my brother-in-law, if you have a term for it at all. I had no idea at the time that he was family."

bc56

2021-08-18, 12:07 PM

Rebonack

2021-08-18, 12:39 PM

[Surf]

"They don't sting how would you get hives?" Khannie asks, puzzled.

Do vampires even GET hives?

She has no idea.

"They're just little glowing blobs they're harmless."

Then one of the larger ones just sorta hinges open and swallows the jelly Khannie had accidentally inured. Whoops.

"Uh... I guess they aren't harmless to each other?" she mutters. She leans down in the water for a closer look. "So there are the little ones that are probably eating stuff in the water and the big ones are eating the little ones."

That's how sea life works!

Big things eat smaller things!

"Here just watch them a bit, they're cool see? You can touch them just don't pick them up out of the water," Khannie says as she reaches into the water and pokes one of the jellies. It backs up, turns to the side a bit, and then begins scooting forward again- right into Khannie's hand. "Haha, you can herd them."

[Drunk Fox Texting]

This time around Tristan replies quite a bit fast.

Okay I'm going to call this trip short I think I have enough data
I'm going to be over to the party as quickly as I can
Try not to get into too much trouble, okay?

Oh that's nice!

Tristan is coming to join Jade for a romantic evening at the beach!

It'll probably take some time for him to arrive, though. What will Jade do in the mean time?

Ionbound

2021-08-18, 01:34 PM

[Walk-Up]

A young lady with silver hair and green eyes, wearing a black one-piece bathing suit strolls along the beach up to the party. She looks a little surprised at the merriment going on at the beach, and frowns as she clearly tries to figure out what's going on and who all is here.

Fenric

2021-08-18, 04:50 PM

[Bar]

Keiko smiles

I didn't say anything about the quality of the comparison, just that it upset her. I could totally see myself offending someone by comparing them to stuff about my dad, for instance, and while I meant it as a compliment it would not at all be taken that way so it makes total sense to me.

Come to think of it, at one point she was a little afraid she had offended Cleo by waxing too complimentary about Leah.
She looks thoughtful

So... since you got in a fight instead of doing poems at each other, I'm taking it your actual relative hooked up with that guy? That sounds like the making of a dramatic story there, yeah.

bc56

2021-08-18, 05:27 PM

Drunk Fox Texting
Oblivious to Tristan's concern, Jade lies back down on her towel and relaxes. Similarly oblivious to the fact that he's driving right now, she texts him,

haha i'm pink now that's eeird but its supet cuyr
The message is accompanied by a blurry photo of her tails, but because of the bad lighting, it's hard to tell what color they are.
She lies there for a good 30 seconds before she finally realizes, she's bored. She looks around at the glowing waters and the moon high above, and is overcome by an urge. She sits up, opens her mouth, and...
"Awooooooooo!"
She's completely unaware that this is rather strange behavior for her, or that all the noise she's making might bother other people.

Morty

2021-08-18, 06:09 PM

[Beach Goblins]

Another guest arrives at the party. Olvisin would normally feel uncomfortable on a beach party. Too much sun even to her surface-adapted eyes. A nighttime beach party is another thing. The goblins' yellow eyes gleam in the bonfire-lit twilight. She opted to go for a fairly modest one-piece suit and is carrying a towel and large bag with her. She did grow up by the seaside, but beach parties, or beaches in general, aren't something she's overly familiar with. Visiting a beach with Chidi on their date does help a little. She starts wandering to find a good place to lay down her towel.

Ionbound

2021-08-18, 06:40 PM

[Drunk Fox Texting]

When the woman hears Jade's howl, she goes from a relaxed stroll to a full run, looking panicked as she searches for the source and seems almost ready to fight as she runs towards the sound.

Ironsmith

2021-08-18, 06:43 PM

Surf
At Khannie's bidding, Achuak lets his jelly go. He laughs at Arthfael's complaints, but it's a bit of a strange, forced sound. His kind don't really do that. "They're safe, they wouldn't hurt anyone."
Not far off in the surf, a large one opens its maw and swallows a slightly smaller one whole. "Maybe not."

[Surf]

"They don't sting how would you get hives?" Khannie asks, puzzled.

Do vampires even GET hives?

She has no idea.

"They're just little glowing blobs they're harmless."

Then one of the larger ones just sorta hinges open and swallows the jelly Khannie had accidentally inured. Whoops.

"Uh... I guess they aren't harmless to each other?" she mutters. She leans down in the water for a closer look. "So there are the little ones that are probably eating stuff in the water and the big ones are eating the little ones."

That's how sea life works!

Big things eat smaller things!

"Here just watch them a bit, they're cool see? You can touch them just don't pick them up out of the water," Khannie says as she reaches into the water and pokes one of the jellies. It backs up, turns to the side a bit, and then begins scooting forward again- right into Khannie's hand. "Haha, you can herd them."

[Surf]

"I mean, sure, maybe they don't sting, but there's a bunch of other things they do in the water here. Like poop."

Thanks for that, Arthfael.

...Still. Khannie and Achuak were having fun playing with the jellies. Maybe he could try it.

Arthfael dips his hands into the water and reached for one of the jellies, but pulls his hand back at the last second. Ugh. These things were so gross.

Then he sees that the draft from him pulling his hand back had caused the jelly to come toward him. "Gah!" He recoils, splashing the water to get it away and likely spritzing Khannie and Achuak in the process.

"Whoo! Go get 'em, Arth!" Siana calls from the beach, entirely misreading the situation and providing entirely too much encouragement.

[Walk-Up]

A young lady with silver hair and green eyes, wearing a black one-piece bathing suit strolls along the beach up to the party. She looks a little surprised at the merriment going on at the beach, and frowns as she clearly tries to figure out what's going on and who all is here.

[Walk-Up]

"All right, you guys in?" Miranda asks her colleagues.

Rose smirks. "I've been waiting all summer to punt you in the face with a volleyball. Heck yeah, I'm in."

Miranda sighs and shrugs. Yeah, okay. She'd take what she could get. "Vlad? How about you?"

"Hm?" Vlad looks up from Rose's swimsuit. "Oh. Yeah. Totally."

"Great. So that just leaves Kl-"

"Nope." Klaus interrupts. "Tonight, I'm just going to be admiring the water with a drink in my hand. No volleyball for me."

Well, perfect. Where were they supposed to get a fourth player now?

Right on cue, this lady in a black swimsuit walks by. She looks fit enough.

Miranda walks up to her with a friendly smile. "Hey there!" She greets. "You don't know me, but... my friends and I were hoping to play some volleyball, and we're one short. Would you be interested?"

[Bar]

Keiko smiles

I didn't say anything about the quality of the comparison, just that it upset her. I could totally see myself offending someone by comparing them to stuff about my dad, for instance, and while I meant it as a compliment it would not at all be taken that way so it makes total sense to me.

Come to think of it, at one point she was a little afraid she had offended Cleo by waxing too complimentary about Leah.
She looks thoughtful

So... since you got in a fight instead of doing poems at each other, I'm taking it your actual relative hooked up with that guy? That sounds like the making of a dramatic story there, yeah.

[Bar]

"That's not..." Braeg sighs. "You misunderstand. When a fiendling woman concieves, all the men who were involved with her within the appropriate time frame are considered to be brothers for the purposes of tracking genealogy, and no one of them are named the father unless there is only one candidate. So, in my niece's example, myself, Fuath, Thoil, and Kane of Sangrosse are all potentially her father. No matter who it actually is, it would be accurate for us to refer to her as our niece, and her to refer to us as her uncles." He gives a little "there, see?" gesture before continuing. "Her mother, Coir, was a lover to myself and Fuath and Thoil, and was abducted during the great Witch Hunts. I learned the knight in charge of that raid was none other than Sir Kane, the man my niece considered to be her father. Coir was already dead when I tracked Kane down and took my revenge; I didn't know there was a child with them until she screamed out for him." He shrugs. "Which was after the beheading in question, obviously."

Fenric

2021-08-18, 06:44 PM

Ionbound

2021-08-18, 06:54 PM

[Running in the Beach]

The woman waves and replies as she runs by, "Talk in a sec! Gotta deal with the werewolf situation first!" The perceptive watcher might notice that her fingernails have taken on a talon-like look and that there are white feathers in her hair that weren't there a moment ago.

Recaiden

2021-08-18, 07:16 PM

Well, it was fair for Keiko to worry about. Leah and Cleo didn't always get along so well.

Not that this adds up to trusting Braeg. The rhyme-curse could still have a lot of valid points.
"So she could well be your daughter, I mean, but your family system puts distance between a child and their male relatives. What a situation."
Or Braeg could have killed her actual father over things that happened before she was born. Apparently they didn't stand to explain their grievances before a fight to the death / execution.

Anchor looks over at the woman running by.
"I don't see the resemblance."

Earl of Purple

2021-08-18, 07:52 PM

Bar

"...Are you OK, Eun? Is that your first drink?" Felicity frowns, a little concerned. She's not drinking alcohol because, whilst she's pretty sure she can, she is flammable and getting drunk probably isn't a good idea when there's naked flame right over there, and over there, and over there.

Elsewhere

Jack bends over and reaches for her shadow, and offers it... Well, not stability; Jack's basically homeless, but familiarity, and adventures that are perhaps less risky to life and shadow than Anchor's. Though if the shadow accepts, and comes back, well... It's been with Anchor and her own shadow for over a year, it's not going to settle all the way down again, and continue to explore and wander off.

bc56

2021-08-18, 08:28 PM

Drunk Fox Howling

The woman worried about werewolves will not find a wolf at all. A very tipsy and very pink nine-tailed fox girl is the one doing the howling. She's only mildly surprised someone took notice. "Oh! Hi! Wow your handsh look funny!" She staggers to her feet from the towel she was kneeling on. "The shtarsh are nische tonight. I jusht wish they shtop shpinning. I'm Jade."

Ironsmith

2021-08-18, 08:37 PM

[Bar]

Keiko looks around at the noise, then sees the pink person howling

Uh... I think she's had enough to drink now.

The unnamed woman running in reminds Keiko of someone

There was once a ... Helen, I think it was. Been a while. Probably unrelated, though.

She turns back to Braeg with a wince

Ooof! Yeah, that sort of set up is very familiar to me.

If you go spend four years in a Yinglet Enclave, you learn a great deal about alternate geneologies.

Sorry to hear that... I can see how she'd be upset, though, but there's just no good way around that sort of thing.

Well, it was fair for Keiko to worry about. Leah and Cleo didn't always get along so well.

Not that this adds up to trusting Braeg. The rhyme-curse could still have a lot of valid points.
"So she could well be your daughter, I mean, but your family system puts distance between a child and their male relatives. What a situation."
Or Braeg could have killed her actual father over things that happened before she was born. Apparently they didn't stand to explain their grievances before a fight to the death / execution.

Anchor looks over at the woman running by.
"I don't see the resemblance."

"In so many words, yes." Braeg replies with a smile, leaning over to Keiko. "Now, you see what I meant by 'technically true, but very misleading'?" He laughs and gives her a little side-hug.

"So, you say that's familiar?" He asks, relinquishing control of the conversation to Keiko. "Some knots in your own family tree?"

[B]Bar

"...Are you OK, Eun? Is that your first drink?" Felicity frowns, a little concerned. She's not drinking alcohol because, whilst she's pretty sure she can, she is flammable and getting drunk probably isn't a good idea when there's naked flame right over there, and over there, and over there.

"...yes." Eun manages to say, punctuating the terse statement with a quick swig. She knew better than to get blackout drunk in public again, so she'd set a hard maximum for herself; no more than three drinks of any kind, period, no ifs, ands, or buts. It wasn't like she needed to be inebriated to make an ass of herself, either.

"To both, I mean. I'm fine, and this is my first." Eun stares at the empty glass and lets out a little sigh. Damn. She remembered these going a little further.

Eun abruptly sighs and drops into her hands. "No, I'm not." she moans. "Why do people have to be so loud?" She presses her headphones against her ears, which apparently weren't doing a good job of blocking out all the noise of the party. Why did she agree to come anyway? She hates crowds.

Oh, right.

But Klaus left already.

Eun groans again. The rest of the night was going to be awful.

Ionbound

2021-08-18, 08:45 PM

[Drunk Fox Howling]

The woman skids to a stop as she sees the very drunk, very pink foxgirl, and sighs with relief, "Oh! Okay. I see, I uh..." She gives Jade a weak smile, and adds, "Sorry to bother you. I-I just, y'know, heard the howling and just got a little worried." When Jade mentions her hand, she takes a second and looks at it now growing yellow scales and suddenly looks very embarrassed, "I, uh...I'll just be leaving now." She holds the hand behind her back and takes a couple steps back, taking a deep breath as she gets back control of the bird within.

bc56

2021-08-18, 09:06 PM

Drunk Fox Apologizing
Jade must realize that she offended with the hands comment because a guilty look plasters itself across her face. "I'm shorry! I didn't mean to shay that, the wordsh jusht came out like bubblesh! I feel sho full of bubblesh tonight, like shomebody filled me with shoda and shook me up!" She doesn't stay focused on the apology for long. "I never caught your name! Have you sheen my boyfriend? He shaid he wash coming here." The fact that the were-eagle has no way of knowing who Jade's boyfriend is doesn't even occur to her.

Ionbound

2021-08-18, 09:22 PM

[Embarrassed Birb Apologizing]

The woman looks up from her focus, and back down at her hand, which has return to (mostly) human-normal coloration and texture. She gives Jade a weak smile and replies, "I-It's fine. I'm sorry I ran at you like that I just thought..." She shakes her head and a couple white feathers fly loose, "Never mind, don't worry about what I thought. My name's Clarissa." She thinks about Jade's question about her boyfriend, and shakes her head, "Haven't seen him, sorry. I...Honestly didn't even know a party like this was happening. I just like to walk along the beach at night."

Rebonack

2021-08-18, 10:20 PM

bc56

2021-08-18, 10:27 PM

Drunk Fox... Doing things
"Itsh a nishe beash. Thash why we're having the party here. The watersh very pretty." Jade looks out over the glowing ocean and gives a very small "Awoo." She stops, sniffs the air, and looks around. "Are you hungry? I'm shtarving." She starts staggering towards the bar for some food.

Surf
"Hahahahaha!" Achuak's watches the other kids antics until he's caught in one of Khannie's splashes. "Hey!" He flicks his tail across the water at Khannie, kicking up a nice large splash to hit her back.

Ironsmith

2021-08-18, 10:44 PM

[Surf]

"Poop gets eaten by smaller ocean critters don't be a wuss," Khannie retorts as she momentarily pauses harassing one of the comb jellies to be cross at Arthfael.

This means she looked up just in time to get splashed in the face with phosphorescent water.

She looks momentarily shocked at first, but that quickly gives way to an expression of grim resolve.

"Oh it's ON now!" she yells, cupping her hands together to get a nice big scoop of glowing water and hurls it at the vampire! "Take THAT!"

...

Wow.

That actually looked really cool! Like a stream of weird blue lightning twisting through the air.

Don't vampires have issues with moving water? Apparently these ones don't. Khannie really doesn't know much about vampire rules since that hasn't ever been relevant to her. All she knows is that she's going to splash the heck out of Arthfael now.

Surf
"Hahahahaha!" Achuak's watches the other kids antics until he's caught in one of Khannie's splashes. "Hey!" He flicks his tail across the water at Khannie, kicking up a nice large splash to hit her back.

[Surf]

Ew.

Arthfael goes to comment on this, but stops as the glowing water goes flying toward him...

And for a moment, the world seems to go in slow motion.

Just... everything about this. It was perfect.

He saw the glowing water hanging in the air, splaying out like fingers toward him, the stars and firelight glinting off it playfully, a frozen jewel in the air right in front of him.

He saw Achuak slowly drawing the conclusion that a splash fight was imminent, bringing down his tail in escalation, shattering the rough glass veneer of the water.

But mostly?

He saw Khannie.

This wasn't just some kid playing pretend anymore. She was here, fully immersed in the moment. He could see that determined expression on her face, that mischievous glint in her eye that told him she was going to enjoy being here, splashing him with liquid light, just because.

And it was all real.

Arthfael needs a minute to take it all in. But he doesn't get a minute.

Arthfael tumbles back as the splashes hit him, knocking him just off-balance enough for the waves to do the rest, causing him to drop under the water with a hearty sploosh!

And just like that, that perfect moment was gone.

But maybe.

Just maybe.

He could make another one.

Arthfael grins and swims toward Khannie, grateful for once that he doesn't actually need to breathe anymore. When he gets close, he's going to surface and splash her but good.

---

Kyrie sighs and takes a seat next to Kothar, watching the kids play out on the beach. He gives a brisk little nod in greeting. "Your boy?" He asks, nodding toward Achuak.

Rebonack

2021-08-18, 11:11 PM

Ionbound

2021-08-19, 08:35 AM

Drunk Fox... Doing things
"Itsh a nishe beash. Thash why we're having the party here. The watersh very pretty." Jade looks out over the glowing ocean and gives a very small "Awoo." She stops, sniffs the air, and looks around. "Are you hungry? I'm shtarving." She starts staggering towards the bar for some food.

Clarissa just gives Jade an awkward smile, "It is, yeah. I, uh, someone asked me to play volleyball so I'm going to go over and talk to them about it. You have fun at the bar!" She shakes her head and sighs as she walks away, thinking, Probably had too much fun already by the looks of it, but...Eh. as she looks for the woman who invited her to play volleyball earlier.

Deathkeeper

2021-08-19, 03:44 PM

Surf

Zebes cheerily flaps his wings on Khannie's shoulder, letting her enjoy herself without him getting in the way.
And without getting in.
ESPECIALLY without getting in.
Come to think of it, has Khannie ever seen Zebes swim?

Bar

Selekhael probably recognizes the oversized wolfen in the Hawaiian shirt approaching the bar.
"Hello again, Miss. You got any specials tonight?" he asks casually.
Maybe her drink ideas are less crazy than her dungeon-delving ones.

Zefir

2021-08-19, 05:38 PM

[Incoming]

A man is coming to the party as well. He looks at the party and lifts his sunglass to see better. A lot of familar faces around here, let's hope none recognizes him or at least makes no big deal out of it. He's not here for trouble, just a bit of relaxing with others. So he heads for the bar. One of those places you should be save especially when Trogs is involved.

bc56

2021-08-19, 05:57 PM

Bar
"Uh, hi Codebreaker," Selekhael says, "There's no special, it's a party. What will you have?" At that moment, a very drunk, very pink nine-tailed fox girl slides up to the bar, likely bumping Codebreaker aside.. "I'll have..." "You've had enough to drink. Uh, weren't you red before?" "Yeah. Damnedesht thing.
"Uh, sorry about that, Codebreaker, Uh, what did you want?"

Surf
Achuak also has no sudden realization about girls. He had it a while ago. But also he's not interested in some squishy hairy mammal girl. There's a cute gecko down at the Temple of Bahamut he has a crush on.
He cries out triumphantly when he soaks Khannie, then gasps in dismay when he's soaked back in turn. Laughing, he cavorts across a few waves around Khannie, unknowingly crossing into Arthfael's path.

Fire
"Yes. Which is yours?" Kothar asks. There's no obvious family resemblance between the wolf-man and any of the children, but the Nexus is weird.

Deathkeeper

2021-08-19, 06:31 PM

Bar

Codebreaker stops to consider. What did he like? Have his tastes changed? Maybe he should try something besides his usual things. He used to hate fruity alcohol.

"Hmm. You got any of those funny fruity tropical drinks they always have at beach parties?"
He smiles but it falls a little after a thought. "Just nothing with grape juice or caffeine I think that would kill me."

5a Violista

2021-08-19, 07:03 PM

by the bar

A slimegirl, the same one that was in Trog's earlier, has decided that she hasn't had enough social environment, so after hearing about a party she headed here.

The bar seems to be a pretty popular place, so she goes nearby.
She looks translucent, blue but with interesting interactions with the lighting here, and has a red pattern on part of her surface.

She finds a place nearby and lies down.

in the water

There's a decent splash in the ocean, visible because of the glowing water.

A merbatgirlmaid goes into the water; she's here from Skyside because...well, she left something important near the shore and doesn't actually know which shore.

She surfaces and looks around.
The most notable features she has is the mermaid tail and the large bat wings (plus she has arms with sharp claws, and sharp teeth, and pointy ears but those are less notable than her wings and mertail).

by the volleyball court

Venus is a redhaired lady with white flowers and yellow flower balls growing in her looong hair, and vines too, and purple cat eyes, and, most importantly, a deerbody like a centaur (except not as big). She's got a t-shirt on.

She's here mostly to enjoy the outdoors, while not having to think about dumb cultists.

Nearby, she lies down/sits to watch.

by a bonfire

Nearby one of the bonfires to use its light, the bogwitch (who is a cecaelia, with octopus tentacles such that it would make more sense for her to be a seawitch than a bogwitch) is here, setting up a little table.

She's here to test the differences that using bogwater versus seawater in potions, and if a dehydrated potion rehydrating using another kind of water has any specific effects.

Ironsmith

2021-08-19, 07:11 PM

[Surf]

Khannie has no epiphany of discovery. She doesn't suddenly feel a flutter in her stomach at the sight of a boy.

No, not in the least.

Mostly she just screeches when the tail-slap absolutely soaks her with glowing water.

Then, laughing like a fool, she hunkers down and begins shoveling handfuls of water at Achuak as quickly as she can manage.

This is a TON of fun.

She may or may not accidentally toss one of the comb jellies at the lizard lad, too. There are tons of them and some are pretty close to the surface.

That...

Probably won't be a great experience for the comb jelly. But that's what happens when you get a jelly bloom and there are playful children about.

Khannie is really, really glad that she came to the beach party. She's glad that she can just be around people without having to constantly worry about her disguise failing. Being an actual real human girl is pretty much the best.

Best.

Party.

EVER.

Surf
Achuak also has no sudden realization about girls. He had it a while ago. But also he's not interested in some squishy hairy mammal girl. There's a cute gecko down at the Temple of Bahamut he has a crush on.
He cries out triumphantly when he soaks Khannie, then gasps in dismay when he's soaked back in turn. Laughing, he cavorts across a few waves around Khannie, unknowingly crossing into Arthfael's path.

[Surf]

So when Arthfael surfaces, hoping to get the drop on Khannie and spray her with a surprise attack, he instead finds himself way too close to Achuak; close enough to probably entangle him and end up falling back into the water with him with a startled yelp. Even if Achuak sees it coming, Arthfael will let out a startled yelp at the close call anyway. Either way, there will be yelping and Khannie will probably get splashed again.

Fire
"Yes. Which is yours?" Kothar asks. There's no obvious family resemblance between the wolf-man and any of the children, but the Nexus is weird.

[Fire]

"Three." Kyrie corrects. "That boy there in the water. That girl there with the leg problem watching them. And that one up the beach, there." He says, pointing out Arthfael, Siana, and Owena in turn. "Their father is an old friend of mine. We fought in the war together."

Clarissa just gives Jade an awkward smile, "It is, yeah. I, uh, someone asked me to play volleyball so I'm going to go over and talk to them about it. You have fun at the bar!" She shakes her head and sighs as she walks away, thinking, Probably had too much fun already by the looks of it, but...Eh. as she looks for the woman who invited her to play volleyball earlier.

[Volleyball - One Short]

Fortunately, the group is not hard to find back. Miranda greets Clarissa as she approaches. "Hey again. Thanks in advance for this, a party just isn't a party without games, is it?"

"So, now we just need to pick teams..." Vlad begins.

"Oh, I am definitely going to be on the opposite team of Cortez." Rose says, giving Miranda a mischievous smirk.

"That... does sort of rule it down to one degree." Miranda concedes. "So, how about it? Any idea which team you'd prefer?"

Physically, Miranda looks like she'd have the advantage; she's taller and much better-toned. On the other hand, with the way Vlad's ogling Rose, if Clarissa decides to pair up with the shorter girl, they'd probably end up effectively playing 2-on-1, and even as athletic as Miranda is, that's not an advantage she'd be able to overcome easily.

bc56

2021-08-19, 07:48 PM

Bar

"Uh, is grog okay? Hot water, cinnamon, rum, and lime juice." Selekhael asks Codebreaker. But before she can get in an answer, the pink fox butts in again. "But bartender, I didn't want any drinksh!" "Uh, please wait your turn, I'm helping someone else." She smiles sheepishly at Codebreaker. "Uh, sorry about that. She's had a bit to much to drink." Selekhael feels like something's off. Didn't she only give that woman a single pina colada? She must be really bad at holding her alcohol.

Earl of Purple

2021-08-19, 07:49 PM

Deathkeeper

2021-08-19, 08:09 PM

Bar

Codebreaker shrugs.
"Yeah, sure. Sounds good to me." He lets his (single) tail wave as he scoots a liiiiittle bit away from the drunk fox. Oh geez, she stinks of fox with all those tails.

Ironsmith

2021-08-19, 08:15 PM

Bar

"Do you want to go down the beach a bit, so we're further from the noise? I'll carry your drink, you don't have to worry about spilling it. And If I spill it, I'll replace it." Felicity points in a direction away from drunk foxes and into the darkness, which is possibly not the best choice but better than staying here. Besides, Felicity is sure she can defend herself from any weirdoes that might be lurking out there.

[Bar]

Eun takes a minute to consider Felicity's proposal. On the one hand, that would leave her and Felicity alone, and things were still a bit... awkward, to put it mildly. On the other hand, that awkwardness wasn't going to go away if they stayed up here with everyone else, and... who was she kidding, being this close to a beach party was an ungodly assault on the senses. Plus, Felicity was being really nice about this. It wasn't likely to remain awkward for long.

"...Okay." She says finally, standing up and taking the rum with her. Besides, dark was good. Dark and quiet. That would be relaxing for her, at least in comparison.

Ionbound

2021-08-19, 09:20 PM

[Volleyball - None Short]

Clarissa considers her options for a moment, then sides with the less athletic side, "Sorry, but I think I'm gonna take the side against you. Make it more fair, y'know?" clearly confident in her own athletic ability, borne out by her own lithe, 5'10" build.

Ironsmith

2021-08-19, 09:41 PM

[Volleyball]

"Yeah-hah, welcome to team awesome!" Rose greets Clarissa with a fist-bump. "We're gonna stomp these jokers, aren't we? Then we're gonna go get some drinks and some of the more ab-y guys and we're gonna party, because we are awesome."

Miranda shrugs. "Okay, Verdoyant. But I think you'll find stomping us isn't going to be as easy as you think." She nods to Vlad. "Your serve."

"...Vlad?"

The large man seems to have spaced out, now standing on the opposite side of the net from two gorgeous women in swimsuits, and a little out of it as a result. "Humana humana humana..."

"Vlad. Any time today would be nice." Miranda says with a forced smile.

"Nah. By all means, take your time." Rose says, with a flirtish wink and an accompanying pose.

"Oh, for..." Miranda grabs the ball from Vlad and serves it herself, sending it sailing over the net.

bc56

2021-08-19, 11:43 PM

Bar
Selekhael pours out a glass of rum and lime juice, mixes in cinnamon and hot water from a kettle, and garnishes it with a lime slice. It's a recipe she knows fairly well, so.sje doesn't mess it up. "Here you go. One She's cut off. "I want a plate of burgsh." "You're being very rude. I wasn't finished yet. And you want a plate of borscht? Wouldn't a bowl be better?"

Fire
"Dead? I sorry." Kothar manages awkwardly. "My mate also dead. Raise Achuak alone."

Surf
"Hey watch it!" Achuak goes down with a mighty splash when Arthfael collides with him. "Haha, what was that for?" He spits water, laughs, and asks.

Rebonack

2021-08-20, 12:00 AM

[Surf]

Khannie decides that now is a good time to cheat while the boys are distracted from maybe tackling each other.

She sticks both hands under water and fashions a flimsy bubble of shadow magic with nothing more than a structural aspect to it. It looks like little more than a softball sized wire-frame of purple and black. Then she makes another. And another. And another. Until she has an armful of improvised water balloons.

With the boys distracted, Khannie hauls back and hurls one of the balloons first at Achuak (who is facing toward her) and then shortly there after at Arthfael.

Hopefully that second balloon will be chucked right as he turns around so it catches him in the face.

The shadow illusion is pretty tenuous, just durable enough to survive Khannie tossing it. Should it strike any remotely solid surface it'll burst, spraying luminescent water everywhere.

"Ha ha HAH! Take that! And that and that!"

Khannie keeps hurling balloons!

There's no stopping her!

Ironsmith

2021-08-20, 06:17 AM

Fire
"Dead? I sorry." Kothar manages awkwardly. "My mate also dead. Raise Achuak alone."

[Fire]

"Missing." Kyrie amends. "Their mother, too. Which... yes, means raising them alone for the time being." He gives Kothar a pained smile. "Your mate... a capable woman?"

Surf
"Hey watch it!" Achuak goes down with a mighty splash when Arthfael collides with him. "Haha, what was that for?" He spits water, laughs, and asks.

[Surf]

Khannie decides that now is a good time to cheat while the boys are distracted from maybe tackling each other.

She sticks both hands under water and fashions a flimsy bubble of shadow magic with nothing more than a structural aspect to it. It looks like little more than a softball sized wire-frame of purple and black. Then she makes another. And another. And another. Until she has an armful of improvised water balloons.

With the boys distracted, Khannie hauls back and hurls one of the balloons first at Achuak (who is facing toward her) and then shortly there after at Arthfael.

Hopefully that second balloon will be chucked right as he turns around so it catches him in the face.

The shadow illusion is pretty tenuous, just durable enough to survive Khannie tossing it. Should it strike any remotely solid surface it'll burst, spraying luminescent water everywhere.

"Ha ha HAH! Take that! And that and that!"

Khannie keeps hurling balloons!

There's no stopping her!

[Surf]

Oh, no, not cheating!

Arthfael does indeed look up just in time to take a balloon full of seawater to the face. He had been about to apologize to Achuak for running into him, but now... well, now they just had to gang up on Khannie, right? No way they were going to let her get away with her balloom-based backstabbery!

Arthfael grins and nods meaningfully to Achuak before ducking under the water again, trying to swim around so he and Achuak were on opposite sides of Khannie. This girl wasn't going to know what hit her!

...Other than water. Obviously.

in the water

There's a decent splash in the ocean, visible because of the glowing water.

A merbatgirlmaid goes into the water; she's here from Skyside because...well, she left something important near the shore and doesn't actually know which shore.

She surfaces and looks around.
The most notable features she has is the mermaid tail and the large bat wings (plus she has arms with sharp claws, and sharp teeth, and pointy ears but those are less notable than her wings and mertail).

[Near The Water]

True to his word, Klaus had taken up a seat near the ocean itself, root beer in one hand and a novel in the other. If he were working, he would be mingling with the other guests, listening for juicy tidbits of information he could later use. But no, tonight was for him, and he generally enjoyed such affairs most sincerely from afar.

As he goes to turn the page on his book, he sees a familiar-looking tail disappear under the water. Huh. Kind of surprising to see her here; last he heard, she was having a bit of trouble getting in and out of Skyside. But, if she's managed it and not announced any intent to leave his little band of misfits, then she was probably down here for something important.

Oh, well. He hadn't expected to work tonight, but cultivating good relations with his subordinates, especially on this sort of level, tended to make his "job" that much easier. With that, he sticks the book in his Hotbox, flushes it, downs the root beer, and prints off a rebreather, which he then puts in as he wades into the water in her direction, soaking his tuxedo. Not that it mattered; getting a new one was five minites' worth of effort.

"Evening, June." He says through the rebreather in a digitized voice as he gets close. "What brings you down here tonight?"

Ionbound

2021-08-20, 10:31 AM

bc56

2021-08-20, 11:20 AM

Fire
Kothar nods. "She was very good hunter. Strong, smart. Died protecting him." Kothar isn't capable of crying. But one might imagine his eyes misting up.

Surf
"Cheater!" Achuak shouts at Khannie. He smashes his tail against the water again to make another large splash. "Play fair!" He's mostly serving to distract Khannie from Athfael's activities.

Deathkeeper

2021-08-20, 11:33 AM

Bar

Codebreaker gently takes the drink and drops a set of coins onto the table.
"Thank you. Good luck." he mouths to her (though he forgets it's much harder to read lips on people with muzzles when you don't have one).
And then he goes off to find somewhere to sip his drink.

Ironsmith

2021-08-20, 11:39 AM

Clarissa nods to Rose, calling out, "I got it!" as she rushes towards the ball, getting under it to knock it up in the air in Rose's general direction.

[Volleyball]

Rose jumps into the air and slaps the ball back over the net, toward Vlad, who is predictably still spacing out. It goes sailing over his shoulder and into the sand with a distinct fsh!

Miranda sighs and goes to retrieve the ball. "Hey, big guy. Gotta get your head in the game."

Vlad blinks groggily. "Er... right. Sorry, boss."

Miranda tosses the ball to Clarissa. "Your serve, miss." She says, with an apologetic smile. It can't be very much fun to only be playing against one person, right?

Fire
Kothar nods. "She was very good hunter. Strong, smart. Died protecting him." Kothar isn't capable of crying. But one might imagine his eyes misting up.

[Fire]

Kyrie nods slowly, giving a sympathetic smile. "...Always tough to lose someone you care about." He says, in what he hopes is a conciliatory tone.

...Maaaaybe it would be a good idea to change topics.

Kyrie glances over at Kothar again, sizing him up. "You a warrior?" The strigoi ex-knight asks. "You look the type."

Ionbound

2021-08-20, 11:57 AM

[Volleyball]

It's not, but on the other hand...Clarissa tosses the ball and slaps it over the net with a good bit of speed directly at Vlad, calling out, "Hey perv, head's up!" as she serves it with a jump over towards Miranda and Vlad's side.

Ironsmith

2021-08-20, 12:10 PM

[Volleyball]

The ball goes flying towards Vlad's face, snapping him out of it enough that he slaps it aside instinctually. Fortunately, it's going in the right direction for Miranda to intercept it, slapping it up over the net toward Clarissa.

Well, behind Clarissa, really. Miranda is every bit as strong as she looks and the ball gets up there.

Rebonack

2021-08-20, 12:51 PM

[Surf]

Khannie shrieks with laughter as Achuak blasts her with another tail-slap worth of water. She laughs so hard, in fact, that she drops one of her balloons and it begins bobbing away toward the shore carried along by luminous waves.

"It isn't cheating!" she retorts, wiping water out of her eyes with her forearm. Though her tone suggest that she isn't very serious about this argument. "Magic is in my blood! It's using what I've got! Is it cheating for you to splash me with your tail? NO! WAY!"

Punctuating those last two words, Khannie lobs another pair of balloons at the lizard lad.

"Is it cheating for Arthfael to take advantage of his VAMPIRE SWIMMING POWERS!?"

At that second question she whirls around and aims to pop a balloon right over Arthfael's head as he surfaces.

Khannie isn't really sure if this counts as swimming powers. Maybe he just swims like a normal kid does? That doesn't particularly matter to Khannie's argument. Nor does the fact that Arthfael is already soaking wet matter to her balloon counter-attack!

She will be victorious! And also have lots of fun.

Ironsmith

2021-08-20, 04:19 PM

Surf
"Cheater!" Achuak shouts at Khannie. He smashes his tail against the water again to make another large splash. "Play fair!" He's mostly serving to distract Khannie from Athfael's activities.

[Surf]

Khannie shrieks with laughter as Achuak blasts her with another tail-slap worth of water. She laughs so hard, in fact, that she drops one of her balloons and it begins bobbing away toward the shore carried along by luminous waves.

"It isn't cheating!" she retorts, wiping water out of her eyes with her forearm. Though her tone suggest that she isn't very serious about this argument. "Magic is in my blood! It's using what I've got! Is it cheating for you to splash me with your tail? NO! WAY!"

Punctuating those last two words, Khannie lobs another pair of balloons at the lizard lad.

"Is it cheating for Arthfael to take advantage of his VAMPIRE SWIMMING POWERS!?"

At that second question she whirls around and aims to pop a balloon right over Arthfael's head as he surfaces.

Khannie isn't really sure if this counts as swimming powers. Maybe he just swims like a normal kid does? That doesn't particularly matter to Khannie's argument. Nor does the fact that Arthfael is already soaking wet matter to her balloon counter-attack!

She will be victorious! And also have lots of fun.

[Surf]

Arthfael does not properly hear this argument, of course, being underwater and all. And unfortunately for Khannie, what he had in mind was not surfacing again; instead, he swims right by her, and as he goes through, gives her ankle a firm tug, hoping to knock her off-balance.

Hey, if he and Achuak were already getting soaked, why not her, right?

Earl of Purple

2021-08-20, 04:49 PM

Bar --> Darker Beach

Felicity will take Eun's drink and walk away from the bar and fires, away to where it's darker and quieter. "Here good?" They're far enough away that the sounds of the playing children, games and so on are muffled considerably, and they're maybe not in the light of the fire any more. But Felicity can probably change that quite quickly, given she's so flammable.

Ironsmith

2021-08-20, 04:58 PM

[Darker Beach]

Eun pulls off her headphones, now that it's a little quieter, and rubs her ears tenderly, wincing a little. "...Yeah. Loads better." She admits.

She's not wrong. This far from the fires, the beach is peacefully illumed by the moon and stars overhead, and the only noticeable background noise is the gentle back-and-forth of the ocean rolling against the shore. It's peaceful and quiet here. Maybe even a little romantic. Eun takes a minute to just drink it all in, letting out a contented sigh.

Morty

2021-08-20, 06:02 PM

[Bar]

One very small person approaches the bar. Olvisin decided that in absence of any better ideas, she might as well start off with something to eat. After all, what is a party without unhealthy food made on the spot? It's not just about the taste, it's about the experience.

"Hi, uh, can I get a burger?" she asks, peering up at Selekhael.

[Bonfires]

Someone else has turned up at the party. It's one of MERC's several tiefling, Fayyaad. He's dressed in a pair of simple swimming trunks, but the bag he brought with him seems to suggest he's got some other plans. For now he's wandering the area around the bonfires, as if planning something.

Ionbound

2021-08-20, 06:24 PM

[Volleyball]

Clarissa almost starts to backpedal, realizes that she probably won't get to the ball, and runs forwards, hoping that Rose will be able to lay it up to her for a spike.

Recaiden

2021-08-20, 06:33 PM

Elsewhere

Jack bends over and reaches for her shadow, and offers it... Well, not stability; Jack's basically homeless, but familiarity, and adventures that are perhaps less risky to life and shadow than Anchor's. Though if the shadow accepts, and comes back, well... It's been with Anchor and her own shadow for over a year, it's not going to settle all the way down again, and continue to explore and wander off.

Jack's shadow swirls around and settles back on the opposite side of Jack from the fire, right where you'd expect it to be.
But just like Jack doesn't settle down in one place, I don't expect that it will stay with her for too long this time.

bc56

2021-08-20, 06:58 PM

Bar
"One burger, coming right up. I'll have the borscht for you in a minute, miss." Selekhael directs the second comment at the very drunk, very pink nine-tailed fox girl leaning heavily against the bar next to Olvisin.
True to her word, she has a hamburger ready in a moment. "What would you like on it?"
The aforementioned pink fox's mouth waters at the sight of the juicy hamburger. She whines, "The barmaid won lishen to me. I wan burgsh too."

Fire
"I am holy warrior. Chosen by goddess to protect." Kothar explains in his broken Common. "Began after mate died."

Surf
"No! Because they're not magic!" Achuak counters, "Magic is always cheater-y!" He repeats his tail splash against Khannie.

Ironsmith

2021-08-20, 08:00 PM

[Volleyball]

Clarissa almost starts to backpedal, realizes that she probably won't get to the ball, and runs forwards, hoping that Rose will be able to lay it up to her for a spike.

[Volleyball]

Fortunately, Rose was already standing a little further back and manages to do just that, bumping it overhead for Clarissa to follow up on.

Vlad's still staring and Miranda is still near the back of the other side of the court. A spike would definitely result in a point for their team.

Fire
"I am holy warrior. Chosen by goddess to protect." Kothar explains in his broken Common. "Began after mate died."

[Fire]

"I thought so. You've got that look in your eye." Kyrie extends his hand in greeting, realzing at this point that they'd never actually exchanged names... apparently, discussing dead spouses came first. "Sir Kyrie of Redmont, Knight to Lady Skuld Dragonbane, servant of Absum."

Earl of Purple

2021-08-20, 08:27 PM

Ironsmith

2021-08-20, 09:05 PM

Darker Beach

Felicity takes a sip of her lemonade. "How're you settling in at Vigil? Found your lab OK?" Although Felicity is glad that Eun walked into hers and potentially saved her from Lapis' pocket star, Eun was trying to find her own lab and got lost. Felicity sits on the sand and leans back a little, wiggling to make the beach more comfortable.

[Darker Beach]

"Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah..." Eun clears her throat awkwardly. "Yeah, I found my lab. Someone thought it would be funny if my Spatial Anomalies lab was, itself, a spatial anomaly." She sighs. "So after finding my lab on floor 8.3, I then proceeded to get lost in it." She gives Felicity a look between a smirk and a frown. Somehow.

She looks over at Felicity and tries to figure out what to do about this sitting situation. There was no way she was going to sit directly on the sand, she'd be fishing out tiny grains of silicon for weeks. She considers putting down her lab coat as an improvized towel, but... that was her coat, and she felt exposed without it. If she were thinking entirely clearly, she'd just print a towel then and there, but... well, Felicity seemed to have that effect on her.

Rebonack

2021-08-20, 09:13 PM

[Surf]

Huh?

Khannie was sure Arthfael was going to pop up here.

Then she gets tripped face-first into the water. "Beans!" she shrieks as she topples over with a great big splash. This means the next tail-slap largely misses her but hey this is a chaotic and quickly evolving situation isn't it? Gotta be able to react to what comes your way.

Khannie pops out of the water a few seconds later, dripping and glow and-

"PUH!"

She spits out a small comb jelly along with a mouthful of phosphorescent water.

"UUUUUUGH IT WENT IN MY MOOOOOUTH!"

Khannie is not a fan of jellies invading her mouth. Though, to be fair, the jelly probably wasn't either.

5a Violista

2021-08-20, 09:17 PM

The merbat June swims a little towards Klaus.
"I believe I've told you before," she answers, "that I had left something [I]really really important by the beach, when I got captured."

She looks up and down the beach. "Problem is, I don't really know which beach it was. After hearing about this, I figured if it was nearby, and someone had found it, then this would be my only chance to find out."

slimegirl

actually enjoys watching all the funny things happening here

Venus

watches the volleyball game

Ionbound

2021-08-20, 09:36 PM

[Volleyball]

Fortunately, Rose was already standing a little further back and manages to do just that, bumping it overhead for Clarissa to follow up on.

Vlad's still staring and Miranda is still near the back of the other side of the court. A spike would definitely result in a point for their team.

Clarissa does just that, jumping higher then even her athletic and sleek frame would suggest possible for a powerful downward spike aimed at the space between Vlad's shoulder and left ear. He'd have to react very quickly to even have a hope of being able to hit the ball, much less control it for a return volley.

Ironsmith

2021-08-20, 09:56 PM

Surf
"No! Because they're not magic!" Achuak counters, "Magic is always cheater-y!" He repeats his tail splash against Khannie.

[Surf]

Huh?

Khannie was sure Arthfael was going to pop up here.

Then she gets tripped face-first into the water. "Beans!" she shrieks as she topples over with a great big splash. This means the next tail-slap largely misses her but hey this is a chaotic and quickly evolving situation isn't it? Gotta be able to react to what comes your way.

Khannie pops out of the water a few seconds later, dripping and glow and-

"PUH!"

She spits out a small comb jelly along with a mouthful of phosphorescent water.

"UUUUUUGH IT WENT IN MY MOOOOOUTH!"

Khannie is not a fan of jellies invading her mouth. Though, to be fair, the jelly probably wasn't either.

[Surf]

Arthfael emerges from the ocean, laughing his butt off. That'll get her, all right. Serves her right for being all interesting and stuff. He raises his hand to Achuak, prompting him for a high-five.

"Ha! 'Yeah, Arthfael, those jellies aren't gross at all!'" Arthfael grins. "How does it taste? Like grapes? Jellyfish taste like grapes?"

"...That was weird and dumb. Sorry."

The merbat June swims a little towards Klaus.
"I believe I've told you before," she answers, "that I had left something [I]really really important by the beach, when I got captured."

She looks up and down the beach. "Problem is, I don't really know which beach it was. After hearing about this, I figured if it was nearby, and someone had found it, then this would be my only chance to find out."

[In The Water]

"Solid reasoning." Klaus beeps, with a little wrinkle around his eyes that suggests he's smiling. "Have you spoken to anyone about it yet? Other than myself, I mean." He pauses, then adds, "It would also be helpful to know what we're looking for. If you would rather not share the specifics, that's fine. But broad strokes would be useful."

Clarissa does just that, jumping higher then even her athletic and sleek frame would suggest possible for a powerful downward spike aimed at the space between Vlad's shoulder and left ear. He'd have to react very quickly to even have a hope of being able to hit the ball, much less control it for a return volley.

[Volleyball]

Predictably, Vlad misses the ball. His shoulders sag as Miranda sighs audibly from behind him. "All right, Lustig. Huddle for a second."

Rose flashes Clarissa a thumbs-up. "Ha! We're totally owning this game!"

"...EVER going to impress either of them if you just sit there staring at their..."

"Pectorals?"

"Eh, maybe in that other lady's case. You get my point?"

"Oh yeah. Let's do this."

Vlad hands the ball to Clarissa, a cheeky smile working its way onto his face. "All right. Let's try this again, but serious."

bc56

2021-08-20, 10:07 PM

Fire
"I Kothar, champion of goddess Tlacua, one of Three, slayer of Vox Vorago." Kothar replies. While those titles are likely meaningless to Kyrie, they are clearly matters of pride for the lizard warrior.

Surf
"Haha! You got one in your mouth!" Achuak helpfully points out. "How's it taste?" He echoes. Unfortunately, he isn't familiar with the concepts necessary to make a joke about peanut butter. Arthfael gets no high five. What's a high five?

Ironsmith

2021-08-20, 10:57 PM

Fire
"I Kothar, champion of goddess Tlacua, one of Three, slayer of Vox Vorago." Kothar replies. While those titles are likely meaningless to Kyrie, they are clearly matters of pride for the lizard warrior.

[Fire]

In fairness, none of the titles Kyrie listed off were going to mean anything to Kothar, either. Here in the Nexus, the titles of who served whom who slayed whomever amounted to a long name and little else. "Pleasure to meet you." He says with a little smile.

Yup. Just two beast-men warriors sitting on a beach, watching their children.

...Yuuup.

Rebonack

2021-08-20, 11:01 PM

[Surf]

"Bluuuuugh!" Khannie groans. "Astringent and bitter."

That's a fancy sounding word.

Why does she know that word?

"Like the gross tasting green olives. Or biting into an acorn," she clarifies, spitting out another mouthful of water. "Don't ever bite into an acorn just because your familiar says they taste good."

It was a learning experience.

Maridia thought it was hilarious.

"I'm going to go roast some s'mores to get this gross taste out of my mouth," Khannie says as she begins wading out of the water toward-!

[The Bonfire]

Or one of them at least. Khannie pulls open one of the many bags of marshmallows (which have thus far thwarted Maridia's attempts to get into them) and tosses one to her fairy dragon familiar. Then she sticks another on a skewer and gets it roasting.

Khannie, of course, doesn't have the patience to slowly brown them. She just lets the treat ignite and then blows it out.

So!

There she is.

Illuminated up there on the beach by flickering firelight, outlined in phosphorescent water like a neon blue aura.

And, of course- "Don't you eat MORE of those marshmallows, Maridia, you're gunna get sick again."

Ironsmith

2021-08-20, 11:34 PM

Surf
"Haha! You got one in your mouth!" Achuak helpfully points out. "How's it taste?" He echoes. Unfortunately, he isn't familiar with the concepts necessary to make a joke about peanut butter. Arthfael gets no high five. What's a high five?

[Surf]

"Bluuuuugh!" Khannie groans. "Astringent and bitter."

That's a fancy sounding word.

Why does she know that word?

"Like the gross tasting green olives. Or biting into an acorn," she clarifies, spitting out another mouthful of water. "Don't ever bite into an acorn just because your familiar says they taste good."

It was a learning experience.

Maridia thought it was hilarious.

"I'm going to go roast some s'mores to get this gross taste out of my mouth," Khannie says as she begins wading out of the water toward-!

[The Bonfire]

Or one of them at least. Khannie pulls open one of the many bags of marshmallows (which have thus far thwarted Maridia's attempts to get into them) and tosses one to her fairy dragon familiar. Then she sticks another on a skewer and gets it roasting.

Khannie, of course, doesn't have the patience to slowly brown them. She just lets the treat ignite and then blows it out.

So!

There she is.

Illuminated up there on the beach by flickering firelight, outlined in phosphorescent water like a neon blue aura.

And, of course- "Don't you eat MORE of those marshmallows, Maridia, you're gunna get sick again."

[The Bonfire]

Arthfael sighs and drops his hand. "...Come on, man." He mumbles, following Khannie up to the bonfire. Achuak leaving him hanging like that? Shameful.

Now, Arthfael doesn't know a lot about marshmallows. He doesn't know how good they taste or if Khannie's toasting method is any good. But he does understand cooking on a basic level, even if she'd have to waterboard him to get him to admit it. Between that, and just trying to fit in, Arthfael sets about toasting a marshmallow slowly, letting the heat permeate it for a nice, even roast instead of this "shell around goop" nonsense Khannie was making. It helped that he wasn't actually in any hurry to eat it.

bc56

2021-08-21, 12:19 AM

Rebonack

2021-08-21, 12:33 AM

[The Bonfire]

Once her marshmallow looks sufficiently like a volcanic rock vomited out of the heart of the earth Khannie sticks the end in the sand and grabs a graham cracker, snaps it in half, and then out comes the jar of chocolate spread! She gets her cracker nice and gooey, pinches the marshmallow, and pulls it free!

One chomp later and.

"Mm... this is WAY better than glow in the dark jellyfish," she sighs. "Do you want me to get some more crackers ready for you guys?"

Without waiting for a reply she begins prepping some more crackers with chocolate. One cracker! Two crackers! Three crackers! Two cra-

"Maridia! Stop stealing the food!" Khannie hollers at the quickly retreating fairy dragon. "I swear it's like baby-sitting a flying raccoon," Khannie grumbles as she gets the chocolate-covered cracker supply back up to capacity.

Then?

The bounty is shared!

"Achuak you're just burning it to charcoal. Here, try another one. Just stick it in there for a little bit then blow out the fire. Or roast it slow like Arthfael is doing," she suggests. Then looks briefly thoughtful. "Umm... is it okay for vampires and lizard people to eat chocolate? I know Commissar isn't supposed to..."

But he's a dog, Khannie. Neither of your friends are dogs.

Ironsmith

2021-08-21, 12:41 AM

Bonfire
Oh no!
Everyone's going out of the water!
Achuak looks a little disappointed but follows. After all, there are snacks. He copies the other children in sticking a marshmallow into the fire on a stick, but without knowing what he's doing, it's quickly burning and beginning to melt off.

[The Bonfire]

Once her marshmallow looks sufficiently like a volcanic rock vomited out of the heart of the earth Khannie sticks the end in the sand and grabs a graham cracker, snaps it in half, and then out comes the jar of chocolate spread! She gets her cracker nice and gooey, pinches the marshmallow, and pulls it free!

One chomp later and.

"Mm... this is WAY better than glow in the dark jellyfish," she sighs. "Do you want me to get some more crackers ready for you guys?"

Without waiting for a reply she begins prepping some more crackers with chocolate. One cracker! Two crackers! Three crackers! Two cra-

"Maridia! Stop stealing the food!" Khannie hollers at the quickly retreating fairy dragon. "I swear it's like baby-sitting a flying raccoon," Khannie grumbles as she gets the chocolate-covered cracker supply back up to capacity.

Then?

The bounty is shared!

"Achuak you're just burning it to charcoal. Here, try another one. Just stick it in there for a little bit then blow out the fire. Or roast it slow like Arthfael is doing," she suggests. Then looks briefly thoughtful. "Umm... is it okay for vampires and lizard people to eat chocolate? I know Commissar isn't supposed to..."

But he's a dog, Khannie. Neither of your friends are dogs.

[The Bonfire]

Arthfael clears his throat. "Well, um... not really. The list of things we strigoi are supposed to eat is pretty narrow." He admits sheepishly. "It mostly amounts to 'blood and occasionally small animals'." He glowers at Maridia. "Like flying raccoons, for instance." He adds, doing his best impression of one of his uncle's signature growls.

"...But, um... yeah, I'm not really supposed to have this." He shrugs, holding the golden marshmallow out to Khannie. "You can have it if you want it."

You know.

Whatever.

Ionbound

2021-08-21, 09:08 AM

Fenric

2021-08-21, 09:19 AM

[Bar]

Keiko chuckles

Not my family so much, we're surprisingly normal. But I was on assignment for the last four years to a new group who had a female to male ratio of 1 to 8, had clutches of young, and there was precious little hope to tell exactly who the father of any given individual was, just "it was one of this set".

Then she blinks and shrugs at Leah

I must have been thinking of someone else. Too many names run together after a while.

Earl of Purple

2021-08-21, 09:37 AM

Darker Beach

Felicity notes that Eun is a little unsure about sitting down, so pulls out... well, it's not a towel. It's a fire blanket. It's maybe not as comfortable as a towel, but it will at least prevent Eun from getting sand in her clothes. "How'd they manage to make it a spatial anomaly? Wouldn't that interfere with some of the work you do? It'd be like... I'd say setting fire to my lab, but I do that all the time." Sometimes even accidentally.

Felicity doesn't know Eun to know that she's not usually this awkward, and is unaware her HotBox can make towels.

Ironsmith

2021-08-21, 09:59 AM

[Volleyball]

Clarissa gives Rose a big grin back, "Yeah! Serves him right for being too distracted ogling us." She looks over back at the other two huddling, and smirks at Vlad's cheeky smile, "Awake now? Good. Let's go." She steps back and serves the ball to Vlad again, ready for a real point or two.

[Volleyball]

This time, Vlad's gaze doesn't leave the ball. Instead, when it gets close, his arm swings up, knocking the ball almost straight up into the air. This gives him and Miranda a few seconds to trade places, which they do, with Miranda jumping up into the air and immediately spiking the ball back to them.

Rose is definitely not going to be able to reach it in time. She's too far back.

Keiko chuckles

Not my family so much, we're surprisingly normal. But I was on assignment for the last four years to a new group who had a female to male ratio of 1 to 8, had clutches of young, and there was precious little hope to tell exactly who the father of any given individual was, just "it was one of this set".

Then she blinks and shrugs at Leah

I must have been thinking of someone else. Too many names run together after a while.

[Bar]

"Hm. Yes, that does sound like a pretty similar situation." Braeg agrees, giving a little shrug. He inhales a little and turns his attention to Leah. "Having said that... Keiko and I were going to have that 'poetry contest' when you walked over. Would you care to join us? We'll need an audience, if only an audience of one."

[B]Darker Beach

Felicity notes that Eun is a little unsure about sitting down, so pulls out... well, it's not a towel. It's a fire blanket. It's maybe not as comfortable as a towel, but it will at least prevent Eun from getting sand in her clothes. "How'd they manage to make it a spatial anomaly? Wouldn't that interfere with some of the work you do? It'd be like... I'd say setting fire to my lab, but I do that all the time." Sometimes even accidentally.

Felicity doesn't know Eun to know that she's not usually this awkward, and is unaware her HotBox can make towels.

[Darker Beach]

That's true. Eun is very slightly less awkward under most circumstances.

"Actually... no, not really." Eun admits, sitting on the fire blanket. "By my understanding of Quad-Space mechanics, the setup they gave me is essentially an isolation chamber. It'd be more like if your lab was kept in a vacuum, only without the dangers of oxygen deprivation." It also has the neat side-effect of blocking out most of the noises and such from the hallway, which Eun appreciated once she got used to the room being so bizarre otherwise. She was probably going to spend a lot of time in there. "As for how they pulled it off... I... don't think I should ask." She rubs her temple, a migraine already starting to take shape. "I mean, the day we met involved a small child taking ordinary fire and turning it into an actual star. I'm not sure I'd even be able to begin to describe the methodology for folding space the way they did, other than maybe 'they have a small child that can do that, too'."

Morty

2021-08-21, 11:25 AM

[Bar]

"One burger, coming right up. I'll have the borscht for you in a minute, miss." Selekhael directs the second comment at the very drunk, very pink nine-tailed fox girl leaning heavily against the bar next to Olvisin.
True to her word, she has a hamburger ready in a moment. "What would you like on it?"
The aforementioned pink fox's mouth waters at the sight of the juicy hamburger. She whines, "The barmaid won lishen to me. I wan burgsh too."

"Mushrooms, pickles, onions and some hot sauce," Olvisin says, before her eyes and ears flick to the fox. "I think this fox-girl here wants a burger too, not borscht. Whatever that is."

Ionbound

2021-08-21, 11:31 AM

bc56

2021-08-21, 12:07 PM

Bar
"Yesh! Thash it!""Oh! Sorry!" Selekhael stacks up the toppings on Olvisin's burger and passes it over. Then she gets another out and asks, "What do you want on it?" "Lettush, tomato, kechup, mushtard." Selekhael begins putting those toppings on the fox's burger.
The foxgirl watches Olvisin's burger closely. She's watching for an opening, where the goblin isn't paying attention. It will only take a few moments for that burger to disappear. Her own will disappear just as quickly once it's finished.

Earl of Purple

2021-08-21, 12:39 PM

Darker Beach

"I was the fuel for that fire, so it's hardly 'normal'. Most people don't sweat oil. Or bleed napalm." Not strictly true, in either case, particularly since napalm doesn't ignite on contact with air (I think). "That would make collecting my blood easier, actually. But if you don't ask, you won't find out. I got flammable because I worked as a lab tech for a guy who makes super-serums. I worked on one, mapped my genome, created a serum- with his help- that was nearly guaranteed not to kill me. And it didn't. He fired me afterwards because he said I was too dangerous, and... I don't know enough about how he makes them to reverse it so I can actually get a job as a lab tech working with chemicals again. Right now, my biology's unique, and even if I'm not working with open flames, I can't guarantee my sweat or whatever will react normally- or safely- if contamination accidentally occurred." And it's pretty hard to do general science if you have to wear an NBC suit to make sure you don't accidentally get flammable sweat on the lump of magnesium, for example. "Besides, you're a very intelligent woman, and if you know how they did it? You could figure out how to do it better." Felicity's pretty sure Dr. Eun could manage to make a better version of a technology she's only just encountered.

Ironsmith

2021-08-21, 01:07 PM

[Volleyball]

Clarissa's ready for something like this, and when Miranda spikes it Clarissa dives into the sand, arms in a V to bounce the volleyball high in the air, sailing backwards towards Rose and the edge of the court.

[Volleyball]

Rose goes to bump the ball back toward the net, but unfortunately, her athletic talents (if they could be called that) play more into endurance and flexibility, not foot speed and striking force. By the time she reaches the ball, it's already so close to the ground that it sort of bounces uselessly off her ankle.

Miranda and Vlad share a wordless high-five, giving Clarissa matching grins. Well, almost matching. Vlad's thrown in an eyebrow waggle for effect.

Rose huddles up next to Clarissa. "Okay, so... we might be in trouble here. Those two are both power hitters and Vlad's thinking with an organ above his waist much sooner than I expected. Any ideas?"

Darker Beach

"I was the fuel for that fire, so it's hardly 'normal'. Most people don't sweat oil. Or bleed napalm." Not strictly true, in either case, particularly since napalm doesn't ignite on contact with air (I think). "That would make collecting my blood easier, actually. But if you don't ask, you won't find out. I got flammable because I worked as a lab tech for a guy who makes super-serums. I worked on one, mapped my genome, created a serum- with his help- that was nearly guaranteed not to kill me. And it didn't. He fired me afterwards because he said I was too dangerous, and... I don't know enough about how he makes them to reverse it so I can actually get a job as a lab tech working with chemicals again. Right now, my biology's unique, and even if I'm not working with open flames, I can't guarantee my sweat or whatever will react normally- or safely- if contamination accidentally occurred." And it's pretty hard to do general science if you have to wear an NBC suit to make sure you don't accidentally get flammable sweat on the lump of magnesium, for example. "Besides, you're a very intelligent woman, and if you know how they did it? You could figure out how to do it better." Felicity's pretty sure Dr. Eun could manage to make a better version of a technology she's only just encountered.

[Darker Beach]

"That's... that's certainly true." Eun admits. Most people were flammable, yes, but not to the absurd degree Felicity was. "But that still doesn't change the fact that Lapis took a small chemical reaction and turned it into a nuclear fission reactor, one that shouldn't even be possible by the conventional laws of physics." She sighs. "And that's just something we understand to some small degree. Space-folding is still strictly theoretical where I come from." She hugs her knees to her chest. "I feel like a caveman trying to put together a hovercar. It just all seems so... beyond me, you know?"

Morty

2021-08-21, 01:43 PM

[Bar]

Olvisin does get distracted in a moment - looking at the people playing voleyball. Some very... fit men and women they are. She doesn't spend too long staring, but it does pull her eyes away from the burger for a while. When she turns back, she finds the burger gone.

"What the-"

bc56

2021-08-21, 02:04 PM

Bar
"Hey! Our burgersh vanished!" the foxgirl protests. She looks at Selekhael, who's serving a drink to an NPC and not paying attention. "Barkeep, shomebody shtole our burgsh! Can you get ush shome more?" There's a very slight mischievous grin on her face, but it would be easy to miss. Sighing, Selekhael makes two new burgers. But if Olvisin were to get distracted again, her second is likely to go the same way as the first.

Fire
Achuak sticks a fresh marshmallow into the fire. "Why wouldn't I be able to eat it?"
He miiiiight be unable to properly chew sticky marshmallows, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Rebonack

2021-08-21, 02:19 PM

[Fire]

"I dunno? Some people are allergic to chocolate," Khannie says as she accepts the marshmallow that Arthfael is offering her, smushes it between two crackers, and offers it to Achuak. "Here! You can have this one. I've already got one that I'm eating."

As for Arthfael?

He's given a really sympathetic look.

"You can only eat blood and little critters? Ugh. That sounds terrible. Did you get bit by a vampire? Or is it like a curse or something?"

Khannie is pretty sure that people aren't just vampires.

Being a vampire is something that happens to someone.

In the comics she's read that have vampires they're usually bad guys. But sometimes there are half-vampires like Blade who are heroes.

Ionbound

2021-08-21, 02:23 PM

[Volleyball]

Clarissa ignored Miranda and Vlad, nodding to Rose instead, "Yeah." As she walks over, Rose might notice that Clarissa's eyes have changed color from their normal green to yellow with dark brown sclera. Clarissa seems unperturbed by the change though, as she continues, "I figure our best bet isn't that far off of what we just did. I am fast enough that I can probably get most of the incoming. I'll try to get them to the middle, you just have to be ready to bump them back to me or send them back over."

Ironsmith

2021-08-21, 03:43 PM

Fire
Achuak sticks a fresh marshmallow into the fire. "Why wouldn't I be able to eat it?"
He miiiiight be unable to properly chew sticky marshmallows, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

[Fire]

"I dunno? Some people are allergic to chocolate," Khannie says as she accepts the marshmallow that Arthfael is offering her, smushes it between two crackers, and offers it to Achuak. "Here! You can have this one. I've already got one that I'm eating."

As for Arthfael?

He's given a really sympathetic look.

"You can only eat blood and little critters? Ugh. That sounds terrible. Did you get bit by a vampire? Or is it like a curse or something?"

Khannie is pretty sure that people aren't just vampires.

Being a vampire is something that happens to someone.

In the comics she's read that have vampires they're usually bad guys. But sometimes there are half-vampires like Blade who are heroes.

[Fire]

Arthfael sighs. He's not entirely sure how to feel about his marshmallow being re-gifted. He does know how to feel about Khannie's comments about vampirism, though.

"What? No, I was never bitten. What kind of crazy person goes and bites another person?" He scowls, completely ignoring that sort of thing is exactly what his fangs are for. "My uncle says it's a curse that hit our homeland about ten years ago, but I was barely even alive then. As far as I'm concerned, I've always been a vampire." He crosses his arms, giving her an irritated look. "Kind of a trite stereotype. I don't know any vampires like that. Except maybe Siana, on one day a month, but even then, none of us are contagious, so there. It's not a disease, you know."

So.

That nerve got touched.

[Volleyball]

Clarissa ignored Miranda and Vlad, nodding to Rose instead, "Yeah." As she walks over, Rose might notice that Clarissa's eyes have changed color from their normal green to yellow with dark brown sclera. Clarissa seems unperturbed by the change though, as she continues, "I figure our best bet isn't that far off of what we just did. I am fast enough that I can probably get most of the incoming. I'll try to get them to the middle, you just have to be ready to bump them back to me or send them back over."

[Volleyball]

Rose nods. "Okay. Solid plan. Maybe I can distract Vlad again while I'm up there."

"Wouldn't count on it. I've seen you a hundred times before. New girl's way-"

There's a moment as Rose and Miranda both give him a pointed look.

"...more interesting, is what I was going to say." Vlad coughs awkwardly. "Anyway, incoming!" And with that, he serves the ball over the net toward them.

Earl of Purple

2021-08-21, 03:44 PM

Ionbound

2021-08-21, 04:04 PM

[Volleyball]

Clarissa also gives Vlad a pointed look, and lets Rose volley the serve to her for her own spike.

Ironsmith

2021-08-21, 04:31 PM

Darker Beach

"Cavemen started with no understanding of physics, gravity or leverage and yet they invented atlatls, boomerangs and bows. Even so, your analogy is wrong. You're not a cavewoman, Eun. You're... You're an Industrial Revolution steam engineer given a chance to play with an aeroplane, and the people who built the aeroplane just used it to prank you. Don't get discouraged, that's what they want." So probably not as advanced as she'd like, but Felicity's trying to imply that spatial dynamics is a technological field that is less than a hundred years away from her timeline. (And if they're playing with timetravel, it's probably closer still.)

[Darker Beach]

Eun closes her eyes and lets out a little chuff. "...Ha. You know, you sound just like my old boss."

She meant it. It was one of the highest compliments she could give out, from her perspective.

"...You're right. If anyone can figure out how that space-folding nonsense works, it's me. And clearly someone can, because someone did, so hey, how hard can it be, really?" She gives Felicity a not-entirely-sincere smile, trying to take her words to heart and draw some real encouragement from them. She seemed to be... almost succeeding, but she still had a ways to go. "Thanks, Felicity."

[Volleyball]

Clarissa also gives Vlad a pointed look, and lets Rose volley the serve to her for her own spike.

[Volleyball]

Rose does just that, bopping the ball off the top of her head so Clarissa could get to it, and immediately regretting it. "Ooh, that was dumb, that was dumb, ow!"

When Clarissa spikes the ball back in, Vlad is there to intercept it, slapping it to the side, where Miranda kicks it back over in a long, tall arc. That whole exchange takes maybe two seconds; not a lot of time to respond to it, but maybe Clarissa can still manage it?

Morty

2021-08-21, 04:48 PM

[Bar]

Olvisin gives Jade an unimpressed look. She wasn't born yesterday and the list of suspects is short.

"There must be a burger-thief on the prowl. Perhaps even a burger-stealing monster. Presumably an invisible one."

bc56

2021-08-21, 05:51 PM

Bar
Jade gives an innocent expression. "Yesh, you're right! Maybe we can cash it if we leave a burg out ash bait." She's too drunk to realize that plan sabotages her chances. She takes her burger and sets its plate on the ground. Then she goes, "Shhhhh," and makes a show of watching to see if the burger disappears.
Once she's sure Olvisin is paying attention to the burger on the ground, she slowly reaches around behind the goblin towards her burger."

Fire
Achuak pulls his slightly burnt marshmallow out of the fire and pops it into his mouth. "Oh, that's really sweet. And sticky." White goo stretches between his jaws and refuses to come off his teeth. "How do you eat this?"

Morty

2021-08-21, 06:38 PM

[Bar]

Olvisin looks straight at the burger on the ground... or rather, pretends she does. Out of the corner of her eye, she glances at her own burger, then reaches out with her own hand to grab Jade's.

"Aha. It seems I've caught the burger thief," she declares triumphantly.

Rebonack

2021-08-21, 07:15 PM

[Fire]

He should be glad that friends all share with each other because sharing is caring.

"Here, try it like this," Khannie says, handing one of the s'mores over to the lizard lad. "I'll be easier to chew it this way."

It doesn't occur to Khannie that lizards don't really chew food as such. They chomp things and swallow it. Is that how lizard folk work, too?

"I asked if it was a curse and it sounds like it is," Khannie replies a little crossly. "I know there are different sorts of vampires. This is the Nexus. There are different sorts of everything. That's why I asked since I didn't know. What happens if you eat other stuff, anyway?"

She finishes up roasting another marshmallow, sticks it between some crackers, and takes a big bite.

Dumb vampirism.

Khannie was trying to be nice by making crackers for her friends and Arthfael couldn't eat it.

"You can ask a question about me if you want. It might be fun we can get to know each other better."

bc56

2021-08-21, 07:27 PM

Bar
Jade feels the hand close around her wrist. She looks genuinely surprised at this turn of events. "Washn me, ofisher! I wash hungry and... Ish free food right? Jusht a bite, pleash?" She can't even keep her story straight. "Cmon, let me go, pleash?" She tries to pull her hand free but is too out of it to manage much force. At the same time, she give Olvisin very large puppy dog eyes (or are they tricky vixen eyes) in an attempt to convince her.

Ionbound

2021-08-21, 07:46 PM

[Volleyball]

Long tall arc? Easy. Clarissa gets under the ball in plenty of time to bounce it off her two hands (now featuring black fingernails!) back over towards Rose.

5a Violista

2021-08-21, 09:56 PM

June shakes her head.
"No, it's um..."

She thinks about it.
...
"Probably best not to tell anyone, so that nobody goes around looking for it," she says.
"On the other hand, it's [I]potentially dangerous to wear for anyone other than me, so. . ."

She sighs, deciding whether it'd be better to not tell him or to tell him. "It's a tiara. Magic. Would recommend not putting on a random tiara if you find one behind a rock inside a hollow log. Not sure what it would do to you, but it probably wouldn't be pretty."

[By the Volleyball place]

Venus continues watching the volleyball game.

Ironsmith

2021-08-21, 11:24 PM

Fire
Achuak pulls his slightly burnt marshmallow out of the fire and pops it into his mouth. "Oh, that's really sweet. And sticky." White goo stretches between his jaws and refuses to come off his teeth. "How do you eat this?"

[Fire]

He should be glad that friends all share with each other because sharing is caring.

"Here, try it like this," Khannie says, handing one of the s'mores over to the lizard lad. "I'll be easier to chew it this way."

It doesn't occur to Khannie that lizards don't really chew food as such. They chomp things and swallow it. Is that how lizard folk work, too?

"I asked if it was a curse and it sounds like it is," Khannie replies a little crossly. "I know there are different sorts of vampires. This is the Nexus. There are different sorts of everything. That's why I asked since I didn't know. What happens if you eat other stuff, anyway?"

She finishes up roasting another marshmallow, sticks it between some crackers, and takes a big bite.

Dumb vampirism.

Khannie was trying to be nice by making crackers for her friends and Arthfael couldn't eat it.

"You can ask a question about me if you want. It might be fun we can get to know each other better."

[Fire]

Oh. That was... pretty reasonable, actually. Now Arthfael felt kind of bad for chewing her out.

"Um... well, nothing." He says with a little shrug. "I mean, I can technically still digest it. It just doesn't do anything for me. Like, at all. Nothing but take up space in my stomach and make me have to go to the bathroom later. Hard pass."

Not that it didn't still smell good, mind you. He just didn't want to risk eating the s'mores, getting hooked, and then having to deal with all the ramifications of that.

So... what was he going to ask her? She'd left him an open invite, after all.

Um...

Well...

Hm.

He couldn't really think of anything. She was super interesting and all, but everything he wanted to ask felt like it overstepped some kind of personal boundary. They were the sorts of questions he wouldn't want to answer if it were him, so he wasn't about to ask them himself.

[Volleyball]

Long tall arc? Easy. Clarissa gets under the ball in plenty of time to bounce it off her two hands (now featuring black fingernails!) back over towards Rose.

[By the Volleyball place]

Venus continues watching the volleyball game.

[Volleyball]

The rest of the game is likely to go badly for Rose and Clarissa. Vlad and Miranda are both stellar players, while Rose is... not. She doesn't tire out very easily, but that's pretty much the only advantage she brings to the table. Unless Clarissa really changes the dynamics of the game, the end result is going to be a curb-stomp, and not in her favor.

June shakes her head.
"No, it's um..."

She thinks about it.
...
"Probably best not to tell anyone, so that nobody goes around looking for it," she says.
"On the other hand, it's [I]potentially dangerous to wear for anyone other than me, so. . ."

She sighs, deciding whether it'd be better to not tell him or to tell him. "It's a tiara. Magic. Would recommend not putting on a random tiara if you find one behind a rock inside a hollow log. Not sure what it would do to you, but it probably wouldn't be pretty."

[In The Water]

"Not really my style." Klaus smirks under his rebreather. "And that gives us a lot of options for searching a wide area. We could scan for radioactivity, do some magnetic imaging scans, that sort of thing." He starts fiddling with his Hotbox, which can apparently still work perfectly fine underwater. "My resources are at your disposal, June. And as you might have noticed, they are quite substantial."

Morty

2021-08-22, 07:06 AM

[Bar]

"You could have just ordered two burgers." Olvisin's grip doesn't waver. The puppy and/or vixen eyes appear to be ineffective. "Or a bigger burger. You probably should eat something, though. You're three sheets to the wind."

[Volleyball]

Fayyaad seems to be idly watching the game, since it's not the right moment for the show he's got planned yet.

bc56

2021-08-22, 09:37 AM

Bar
Jade is definitely three sheets to the wind. Maybe more, because she's having trouble understanding Olvisin's suggestions. Instead, she tries to break free. Quick as a flash she turns into a fox and pulls her paw loose from the goblin's grip. She grabs the burger in her mouth, hops off the stool, and breaks into a run, tails wagging triumphantly.

Fire
Achuak doesn't eat the crackers. Instead he begins scraping the marshmallow fluff off his teeth with them. He gets some of it and throws it into the fire. "What's it like being a mammal?" He asks Khannie.
What?
She said any question, right? He's curious.

Rebonack

2021-08-22, 12:27 PM

[Fire]

Khannie wrinkles her nose a bit at that description. "Wow, that sounds like it really sucks. Being able to eat lots of different types of food is great. Are you able to eat cooked meat, at least? Or does it have to be raw?"

She's pretty sure the whole reason why stuff gets cooked is to make it easier to digest (and also taste better). If someone can't eat cooked meat then that is DEFINITELY a curse.

And then?

A completely valid question from lizard lad!

Khannie has to think about that one for a bit.

Because it isn't just what it's like being a mammal.

It's how is being a mammal different from being a reptile?

Having been a kangaskhan for most of her life, Khannie feels like she's in a pretty unique position to answer that question.

"Okay so first you don't shed your skin at all. I think it just comes off in tiny flakes all the time instead of all at once," she begins. "And you don't have to sit around somewhere warm on cold days to get your body temperature up. And lips! You get lips! Lips are GREAT for making all sorts of facial expressions and things."

Khannie crosses her eyes and sucks in her cheeks to do the classic 'fish face'.

"And you've got these little hairs on your arms! When it gets cold they all stand up to help you keep warmer I guess? But I think mammals have to eat more stuff than reptiles do since it takes extra food to keep your body warm."

Also stuff about making babies. But Khannie hasn't ever made babies before so she doesn't know about that.

Fenric

2021-08-22, 12:31 PM

[Bar]

Keiko tries to think of a rhyme to follow up on Braeg's pair, and something to possibly enhance whatever she said, all that without playing any of the sort of mind-tricks that she would usually rely on...

Um...

Now that she's trying to focus, she stalls a bit

How long do you get to respond before ... um ... it counts against you?

Ionbound

2021-08-22, 01:04 PM

[Volleyball]

Clarissa tries really hard, and over the course of the volleyball game grows brown feathers over her body, yellow scales over her extremities, and a bird-like feathered tail from a cleverly concealed flap in her bathing suit. The further she gets into it, the more eagle-like she becomes, but even with her supernaturally-enhanced prowess, Clarissa alone isn't enough to win. At the end of the game, she sighs and looks around, now speaking with a changed, squeakier voice, "Well...Nice try there Rose, I guess. We did our best."

Recaiden

2021-08-22, 01:13 PM

[Bar]

"Alright. You have an audience."
"I mean, I'm not much of a poet, but I can listen."

Anchor smiles and looks at Keiko, who is clearly overthinking it.

"Oh, hey Jack." she's distracted a moment by seeing the Clattering-member coming to the bar, and gives her a wave. Oh, with her shadow again.
Hopefully she isn't mad about that...

Jack's shadow has at least come this far with her.

Anchor's shadow has run off to the fire, where it's racing around and around, enjoying the flickering lights.

Earl of Purple

2021-08-22, 05:16 PM

Darker Beach

"Your old boss sounds like a very smart person, unlike my old boss who was insane. Or the boss before that, who kept his secrets even from the people he hired to help him." To be fair, Felicity is totally unaware that the process she used to create the serum she injected into her body to change her biology and give herself superpowers was at least seventy-five per cent alchemy, with the rest being boring old-fashioned science. She'd be rather displeased to know that, too, she thinks what she did is actually reversible, which... it might not be, since it's magic. Earl hasn't really decided yet, but is leaning towards 'no' because it makes her fun. "I... haven't had much luck with bosses, have I? Geneva's much better than either of them." And she's only had two bosses, or two sciencey bosses anyway. She's not counting the manager of the fast-food place that she worked during the summer before she started university.

At the slightly insincere smile, Felicity will try to give Eun a one-armed hug, but will stop if Eun looks panicked or freezes too much. "You've got this."

Bar

"Hi, Anchor. Not the first time somebody's left me in bed before I woke up, but usually they don't take my shadow. She's come back to me, now, and seems happy. Did she enjoy her time with you?" She doesn't seem mad, at least.

Volleyball

Mishnehel also joins the crowd of onlookers. She's a half-elf with short brown hair and skin the colour of polished oak, and green eyes. She's got a ring in the side of her nose and mismatched piercings in her ears, as well as a stud in her bellybutton. She wears a white bikini as she wanders close to the fires.

Ironsmith

2021-08-22, 06:35 PM

Fire
Achuak doesn't eat the crackers. Instead he begins scraping the marshmallow fluff off his teeth with them. He gets some of it and throws it into the fire. "What's it like being a mammal?" He asks Khannie.
What?
She said any question, right? He's curious.

[Fire]

Khannie wrinkles her nose a bit at that description. "Wow, that sounds like it really sucks. Being able to eat lots of different types of food is great. Are you able to eat cooked meat, at least? Or does it have to be raw?"

She's pretty sure the whole reason why stuff gets cooked is to make it easier to digest (and also taste better). If someone can't eat cooked meat then that is DEFINITELY a curse.

And then?

A completely valid question from lizard lad!

Khannie has to think about that one for a bit.

Because it isn't just what it's like being a mammal.

It's how is being a mammal different from being a reptile?

Having been a kangaskhan for most of her life, Khannie feels like she's in a pretty unique position to answer that question.

"Okay so first you don't shed your skin at all. I think it just comes off in tiny flakes all the time instead of all at once," she begins. "And you don't have to sit around somewhere warm on cold days to get your body temperature up. And lips! You get lips! Lips are GREAT for making all sorts of facial expressions and things."

Khannie crosses her eyes and sucks in her cheeks to do the classic 'fish face'.

"And you've got these little hairs on your arms! When it gets cold they all stand up to help you keep warmer I guess? But I think mammals have to eat more stuff than reptiles do since it takes extra food to keep your body warm."

Also stuff about making babies. But Khannie hasn't ever made babies before so she doesn't know about that.

[Fire]

"Of course it can't be cooked. It barely works when it's raw." Arthfael says, in a tone that implies "yeah, everyone knows that". "See, we don't eat sugars, or proteins, or whatever. We eat life force. When meat is raw, it still has stuff living in it. When you cook it, that stuff all dies; that's exactly why non-vampires do so in the first place."

"...As for being a mammal... yeah, pretty much what Khannie said." Arthfael doesn't elaborate. "But those are all the little details. I don't think that quite answers the question." He strokes his chin, trying to find a way to put things together comprehensively for Achuak. "Here, let me think... when you were swimming in the ocean earlier, how did it feel?"

[Volleyball]

Clarissa tries really hard, and over the course of the volleyball game grows brown feathers over her body, yellow scales over her extremities, and a bird-like feathered tail from a cleverly concealed flap in her bathing suit. The further she gets into it, the more eagle-like she becomes, but even with her supernaturally-enhanced prowess, Clarissa alone isn't enough to win. At the end of the game, she sighs and looks around, now speaking with a changed, squeakier voice, "Well...Nice try there Rose, I guess. We did our best."

Volleyball

Mishnehel also joins the crowd of onlookers. She's a half-elf with short brown hair and skin the colour of polished oak, and green eyes. She's got a ring in the side of her nose and mismatched piercings in her ears, as well as a stud in her bellybutton. She wears a white bikini as she wanders close to the fires.

[Volleyball]

Rose sighs and gives Clarissa an apologetic smile. "Don't worry about it. You did great. In fact..." She makes a show of shading her eyes and looking over at her old boss. "Ha! You've gotten Cortez sweating! I didn't know for sure if that was still possible!"

Miranda smiles and extends a hand to Clarissa. "Good game, miss." If nothing else, she wants to walk away from this encounter with a good show of sportsmanship behind her.

And then there's Vlad.

"Heh. Kicked your butts, didn't we?" He chortles.

"Oh, grow up." Rose mumbles irritably.

"You're one to talk." Vlad holds up a hand to the top of Rose's head, reminding her that she was a good fourteen inches shorter than him.

"Wow. Short joke. Didn't think you'd stoop to that."

"Well, I'd kind of have to."

Rose lets out a little sigh. "...Yup. Walked right into that one."

"Anyway." Miranda interjects. "Anyone else care to try their luck?"

Keiko tries to think of a rhyme to follow up on Braeg's pair, and something to possibly enhance whatever she said, all that without playing any of the sort of mind-tricks that she would usually rely on...

Um...

Now that she's trying to focus, she stalls a bit

How long do you get to respond before ... um ... it counts against you?

[Bar]

"Alright. You have an audience."
"I mean, I'm not much of a poet, but I can listen."

Anchor smiles and looks at Keiko, who is clearly overthinking it.

"Oh, hey Jack." she's distracted a moment by seeing the Clattering-member coming to the bar, and gives her a wave. Oh, with her shadow again.
Hopefully she isn't mad about that...

Jack's shadow has at least come this far with her.

Anchor's shadow has run off to the fire, where it's racing around and around, enjoying the flickering lights.

[Bar]

"Not very long, only a minute or two." Braeg quips, rhyming Keiko's line for her. "In all seriousness, I don't consider us to have started yet. We only just now got an audience, after all." He gives Anchor an apologetic smile. "However meager it may be." He pauses, before adding, "And in the real thing, hesitation is permitted, but generally does not reflect well on the speaker. I would avoid it if it could be managed."

[B]Darker Beach

"Your old boss sounds like a very smart person, unlike my old boss who was insane. Or the boss before that, who kept his secrets even from the people he hired to help him." To be fair, Felicity is totally unaware that the process she used to create the serum she injected into her body to change her biology and give herself superpowers was at least seventy-five per cent alchemy, with the rest being boring old-fashioned science. She'd be rather displeased to know that, too, she thinks what she did is actually reversible, which... it might not be, since it's magic. Earl hasn't really decided yet, but is leaning towards 'no' because it makes her fun. "I... haven't had much luck with bosses, have I? Geneva's much better than either of them." And she's only had two bosses, or two sciencey bosses anyway. She's not counting the manager of the fast-food place that she worked during the summer before she started university.

At the slightly insincere smile, Felicity will try to give Eun a one-armed hug, but will stop if Eun looks panicked or freezes too much. "You've got this."

[Darker Beach]

"She is. Smart and strong and confident an-" Eun stops when she realizes she's gushing just a bit more than might be appropriate. "...I think you'd like her."

And then comes the hug.

Oh.

Ooooh no.

No.

Not touching.

Just... no.

Eun visibly seizes up when Felicity puts her arm on her, to the point where she might appear to have shrunk a couple of inches. "T-... t-thanks..." She manages, cringing in such a way as to try to get out of Felicity's grasp without looking like she's trying to get out of Felicity's grasp, followed by her throwing all subtlety out the window and scooting away from Felicity altogether, hugging herself and shaking like she'd just walked out of a meat locker.

She really.

Really.

Was not comfortable being touched. Except maybe by a few of her closest friends.

Unfortunately, even as nice as Felicity's been, they still don't know each other all that well. They'd had two encounters, both of which involved Eun breaking down and (in her own opinion) being the peak physical manifestation of an embarrassment. To say she was still uncomfortable around her would be an understatement. Eun internally berates herself for making a big deal about it; hopefully, Felicity wouldn't take it personally.

Ionbound

2021-08-22, 08:33 PM

bc56

2021-08-22, 08:36 PM

Fire

Achuak listens. He guesses that makes sense, but it's all strange to him. Arthfael's comment doesn't make any sense though. "It felt wet. Why?"

Recaiden

2021-08-22, 11:44 PM

"Ah, it's not like that." Anchor says, although Jack doesn't seem mad, she feels like she has excuses to make anyway.
"I mean, I just had a long way to travel that day."
"The shadow though, she's been great. Had all kinds of excitement. Did you get along alright without her?"

Zefir

2021-08-23, 02:58 AM

Volleyball

Mishnehel also joins the crowd of onlookers. She's a half-elf with short brown hair and skin the colour of polished oak, and green eyes. She's got a ring in the side of her nose and mismatched piercings in her ears, as well as a stud in her bellybutton. She wears a white bikini as she wanders close to the fires.

Volleyball

Zefir who was at the bar just stps up to the volleyball field as well. He's wearing some dark blue swimming trunks and a white ****s. an amulett with a piece of marble hangs tight around his neck and his sunglasses ar put up into his hair.

"Hey, do you play as well?" he asks. and points at the volleyball.

Fenric

2021-08-23, 09:44 AM

[Bar]

Keiko nods

Ok, that's reasonable enough. So more like a standard party and not like the Winter Solstice where you have to answer immediately or you're out.

The slightly cross look on her face hints at being eliminated fairly early on the times she didn't manage to avoid the contest altogether.

So... who goes first? The challenger or the challenged?

Ironsmith

2021-08-23, 11:15 AM

[Volleyball]

Clarissa studiously ignores Vlad and offers a scale-clad, eagline hand to Melissa, then quickly withdraws it when she realizes that her fingers hand morphed into sharp talons. She looks incredibly embarrassed, a blush almost visible even under white feathers covering her face, "I-I'm sorry. I-it was a good game but I need to....Go somewhere else now. I'm so sorry." She turns and walks away from the volleyball game, trying to find a secluded corner to morph herself back to being human.

[Volleyball]

Clarissa's fast, but Miranda doesn't let her go without shaking hands. If she's bothered by her opponent's slow transformation into a raptor, she doesn't show it. "Do whatever you have to do." She smiles. "And... good game, miss."

Fire

Achuak listens. He guesses that makes sense, but it's all strange to him. Arthfael's comment doesn't make any sense though. "It felt wet. Why?"

[Fire]

"Oooh, it felt wet!" Arthfael groans sarcastically. "Whoa, isn't that a revelation! Here I was thinking being in the ocean was a dry experience for everyone!" His mocking smirk drops away abruptly. "No kidding, it was wet. But what else? How did the water actually feel on your scales? Did you feel at all apprehensive about going under? Can you still feel the salt after you get out of the water? There are a lot of pieces you leave out just by saying it's 'wet'."

[Bar]

Keiko nods

Ok, that's reasonable enough. So more like a standard party and not like the Winter Solstice where you have to answer immediately or you're out.

The slightly cross look on her face hints at being eliminated fairly early on the times she didn't manage to avoid the contest altogether.

So... who goes first? The challenger or the challenged?

[Bar]

"The challenger, of course." Braeg nods to Anchor. "Which would be me, you weren't here for that part." He produces a mandolin from under his cloak and starts plucking at it idly. "Now, let me see... oh, yes..." He starts strumming out a simple series of chords, warm and wistful in tone, which he keeps going as he sings his opening lines.

I wish, I wish, I wish in vain
To dance and sing with her again
Through summer haze and winter rain...

Braeg continues playing, but nods toward Keiko, indicating it was her turn. If she doesn't take it immediately, he'll give her more time to think by whistling along with his playing, keeping it up until she looked to be ready. He'd done his best to make it easy for her, seeing as to how she was apparently an amateur; he had given her a simple meter and rhyme scheme to work with, and intended to keep the music going to elevate whatever she came up with. If nothing else, lost loves were a common choice of subject for poets and songwriters, so Keiko would have plenty of potential material to plagiarize if she couldn't come up with anything original.

Fenric

2021-08-23, 11:37 AM

[Bar]

Keiko's ears perk up: following that one wouldn't be so bad. Her reply is quick enough that she has obviously done a bit of adapting of a poem she already knows, and she replies

But then I think back on the pain
of word and look and cold disdain
And so again, I choose for me
a life of romaing far and free...

then she waits expectantly.

Ironsmith

2021-08-23, 11:56 AM

[Bar]

Braeg nods his approval at Keiko's response; the direction she'd taken it made him think for a moment, but fortunately, they'd already set up a good pace for that and he's able to make the transition look seamless.

The open road, uncharted sea
Such is the way I choose for me
But when I lay my head to rest
I feel her heartbeat, hear her breast

Fenric

2021-08-23, 12:10 PM

[Bar]

Keiko pauses a little bit, the music carrying on for perhaps three skipped lines before she picks back up

remember her soft hair carress'd,
and deeper pleasures yet unguessed.
All these come back to me, unbidden
troubling me from paths unridden...

Ironsmith

2021-08-23, 01:05 PM

[Bar]

Uh-oh. Keiko was breaking meter; that was probably going to cost her points in Anchor's eyes. More pointedly, Braeg couldn't think of many ways to rhyme further with her lines; all that came to mind was "something something something hidden", which felt a little forced. So, before starting his third and last verse, he slows down the tune, to something a little more somber.

If he but knew he'd have my head
For my flight from his daughter's bed
The very night before we wed
And they both would wish for me, dead

Morty

2021-08-23, 01:53 PM

[Bar - Burger Theft]

Olvisin makes a not particularly articulate sound of outrage, before hopping off the barstool and giving chase after Jade. She's not likely to catch her, but it's the principle of the thing that matters. Stealing people's food just isn't done.

Fenric

2021-08-23, 02:10 PM

[Bar]

Keiko blinks as Braeg heads off a completely different tangent than she had been thinking that worse for her, didn't follow the track of the poem she'd been mangling. She squirms, and frowns, and finally goes just a tiny bit darker yet...

A poisoned dirk, an arrow's flight?
A strangling rope in dead of night?
My life cut short, for cert' they will.
My love, my life, my doom fulfill.

Recaiden

2021-08-23, 03:21 PM

[Bar - Poetry Contest]

Alright, time to listen.

Hmm. That first rhyme sounded wrong. She can't say why, having forgotten most of what she ever learned of poetry, but that's a penalty, surely.
Keiko picks up faster than Anchor had expected, given her usual opinion on poetry contests. That third line kind of set up an expectation for the second that wasn't there. Should have chosen a different word.
Braeg turns the poem to a part of the topic she doesn't care for - are you allowed to deduct points for that? But maybe the vivid picture painted by those words should earn him back some credit.
The word 'unbidden' is like a rock in the road, a lurch expecting that one more step to have come before. At the same time, this stanza gives the whole thing a level of poem-ness it hadn't had before.
The next verse, with its new rhymes, is promising, but what was that? That's not how you say 'flight' at this point in the poem, surely it's not!
And then, in the final stanza, there was a point where it seemed poised to break the bounds of the poem and become something more, but it just...didn't.

Anchor folds her arms and looks thoughtfully up and to the side.
"I think it's a draw."
She glances around the bar. Does anyone else want to vote? Maybe someone less hard on the contestants?

bc56

2021-08-23, 04:00 PM

Burger Theft
The fox goes scampering off across the party site with the burger in her mouth, making muffled happy fox noises and struggling to walk in a straight line. She won't be too hard to catch, but she'll lead Olvisin on a merry chase first.

The moral of this story?
Don't trust a fox not to steal your food.

Fire
Achuak looks a little irritated. "How was I supposed to know that's what you wanted me to say? You asked what it felt like, and I told you. It was wet!" Clearly what we have here is a failure to communicate.

Earl of Purple

2021-08-23, 07:21 PM

Darker Beach

As soon as Eun freezes Felicity panics and pulls her arm back. "Sorry! Sorry. I... I didn't know you didn't like being touched. I'll not do that again. Um. Oh, I'm sorry." Felicity blames herself for that, because Eun can't control how she reacts. So she's internally berating herself too, though possibly not as harshly. She'll take a sip of her lemonade to try and compose herself.

Felicity may now think Eun has high-functioning autism, but it's also possible there's another explanation and Felicity's aware of that, too. So she's not going to pry, at least not now.

Volleyball

Mishnehel turns to Zefir and smiles. "No, I'm just watching right now. I don't know the rules. Why, are you interested in a game?"

((I'm guessing you misspelt 'shirt' there, Zefir. It fell afoul of the forum filter.))

Ironsmith

2021-08-23, 08:28 PM

Alright, time to listen.

Hmm. That first rhyme sounded wrong. She can't say why, having forgotten most of what she ever learned of poetry, but that's a penalty, surely.
Keiko picks up faster than Anchor had expected, given her usual opinion on poetry contests. That third line kind of set up an expectation for the second that wasn't there. Should have chosen a different word.
Braeg turns the poem to a part of the topic she doesn't care for - are you allowed to deduct points for that? But maybe the vivid picture painted by those words should earn him back some credit.
The word 'unbidden' is like a rock in the road, a lurch expecting that one more step to have come before. At the same time, this stanza gives the whole thing a level of poem-ness it hadn't had before.
The next verse, with its new rhymes, is promising, but what was that? That's not how you say 'flight' at this point in the poem, surely it's not!
And then, in the final stanza, there was a point where it seemed poised to break the bounds of the poem and become something more, but it just...didn't.

Anchor folds her arms and looks thoughtfully up and to the side.
"I think it's a draw."
She glances around the bar. Does anyone else want to vote? Maybe someone less hard on the contestants?

[Bar - Poetry Contest]

Braeg looks around the bar expectantly; surely someone else heard the music and decided to watch the contest, right? The barmaid, perhaps, if she wasn't too busy? Or possibly the goblin and fox la- oh, wait, no, there they go.

If nobody else chips in, Braeg will reward Keiko's efforts with a brisk round of applause, prompting anyone nearby who might listen to do the same.

[B]Darker Beach

As soon as Eun freezes Felicity panics and pulls her arm back. "Sorry! Sorry. I... I didn't know you didn't like being touched. I'll not do that again. Um. Oh, I'm sorry." Felicity blames herself for that, because Eun can't control how she reacts. So she's internally berating herself too, though possibly not as harshly. She'll take a sip of her lemonade to try and compose herself.

Felicity may now think Eun has high-functioning autism, but it's also possible there's another explanation and Felicity's aware of that, too. So she's not going to pry, at least not now.

[Darker Beach]

"Does anyone?" Eun grumbles, before letting out a little sigh. "...It's okay. Really. You didn't know." She turns and gives the woman a little smile. "...And your intentions were good, I know."

She lays back down on the fire blanket and looks up at the stars overhead, listening to the sound of the waves breaking rhythmically on the beach. Once she has a moment to get comfortable again, Eun resumes drinking this all in, giving a contented little smile. "...You know, Felicity?" She says finally. "I'm glad we came out here. And not to some bar." Not that she had anything in particular against The Battered Shield, mind, but a building full of people intoxicated to various degrees just... was not someplace she really wanted to spend her spare time.

"...We should come out here again sometime."

Fenric

2021-08-23, 08:33 PM

[Bar]

Keiko also looks around to see if anyone else wants to comment on the poem, but she's secretly thrilled since "eliminated in the first round" is a more usual outcome for her poetic attempts.

Zefir

2021-08-24, 03:34 AM

Volleyball

Mishnehel turns to Zefir and smiles. "No, I'm just watching right now. I don't know the rules. Why, are you interested in a game?"

((I'm guessing you misspelt 'shirt' there, Zefir. It fell afoul of the forum filter.))

Volleyball

((Yeah I assume a typo which leaded to a banned word. I can't even tell what it might be))

"A bit. I'm here alone so i rather look for someon to talk." he says. "I think I know the basic rules, unless there are any Nexus rules. I haven't been to a beach latly."

Rebonack

2021-08-24, 08:46 AM

[Fire]

Khannie frowns at the vampire kid.

"You don't have to be a jerk about *everything* Arthfael," she chides.

What the heck was his problem, anyway?

Why was he always so grumpy about everything?

She's been trying to be nice and help him feel included and it's like-

Most of it just gets thrown right back in her face!

As far as she's concerned he's on thin ice and in danger of getting ditched.

Ironsmith

2021-08-24, 09:29 AM

Fire
Achuak looks a little irritated. "How was I supposed to know that's what you wanted me to say? You asked what it felt like, and I told you. It was wet!" Clearly what we have here is a failure to communicate.

[Fire]

Khannie frowns at the vampire kid.

"You don't have to be a jerk about *everything* Arthfael," she chides.

What the heck was his problem, anyway?

Why was he always so grumpy about everything?

She's been trying to be nice and help him feel included and it's like-

Most of it just gets thrown right back in her face!

As far as she's concerned he's on thin ice and in danger of getting ditched.

[Fire]

"Now you lis-"

"Hey, kiddos." A tall, dark-haired almost-woman interrupts her little brother, holding a quartet of sundaes. "What're you doing?"

Arthfael turns away, grimacing. Oh, no. Not Owena. She was gonna ruin everything.

"You guys know they're giving out ice cream further up the beach?" She says, pointing out the cart in question. "And... oh, my." She gives Khannie a friendly smile. "You must be Khannie! I've heard so much about you!"

"No she hasn't! She's heard nothing!" Arthfael blurts hastily.

"Oh, sure! I swear, Arth's always talking about you. And a few other kids." Owena hands her one of the sundaes. "It's nice to see my little brother making friends. It always seems to be so hard for him..."

bc56

2021-08-24, 11:14 AM

Fire
Achuak gives Arthfael a look and the lizardy equivalent of a snicker.
But he's not going to say anything... Yet.

Morty

2021-08-24, 01:34 PM

[Burger Theft]

The fox goes scampering off across the party site with the burger in her mouth, making muffled happy fox noises and struggling to walk in a straight line. She won't be too hard to catch, but she'll lead Olvisin on a merry chase first.

The moral of this story?
Don't trust a fox not to steal your food.

Olvisin is obviously not going to eat the burger even if she retrieves it. Not after Jade held it in her mouth for a while. But it's still a matter of principle. The partygoers will be treated to the sight of a goblin chasing a fox all over the place for a while.

5a Violista

2021-08-24, 01:56 PM

"I [i]think it's made out of silver, which means I doubt a radioactive scan will help, and I find it hard to imagine what kind of setup and safety features you'd have to do to get a large-scale MRI..." she says. Maybe with some fancy magic or sci-fi tech it could be done, but not even knowing which beach to narrow it down on makes it seem too large of a problem to feasibly tackle this way.

June leans her head back into the water, looking up at the sky.

"Maybe if I could narrow down which beach it was on, it would seem moderately feasible to find by scanning."
She sighs.
"Was literally shortly after I got here so I have no idea where anything was. There was an island with a fisherman, and then a port town, and then a couple other towns that I might recognize if I saw them, and a pretty large river, too. The place where it is is within walking distance of a river. Problem is, the I somehow ended up offending or something the only person who agreed to show me around and she ditched me in the middle of the ocean with no idea what anything was. Didn't even have a compass or questlog or whatever like she did. So...I dunno. It's been several months now and every day that passes is just another chance that a storm or an animal or a lucky kid ended up taking it."

Meanwhile
on shore

Venus ends up lying down, and leans her head back to look at the foxy burger thief and its chaser.
Huh
Pretty random, she thinks.
Kinda makes her want a burger now, too.

Fenric

2021-08-24, 02:00 PM

[Bar]

Keiko decides that's quite long enough of a pause, if anyone was going to challenge Leah (lucky for them all they didn't!)

Yay! A draw! That's the best I've ever done!

Earl of Purple

2021-08-24, 07:54 PM

Bar

"Yeah, I did. Well, mostly. I really upset this scientist lady who arrived in a scuttle that crashed through the wall of Trog's when she noticed it was missing. She's fine now though, and I think I saw her here, but... not where she went." Eun's elsewhere now, and probably wouldn't appreciate meeting Anchor anyway. She's not keen on parties.

Darker Beach

"Some people like being touched. There's really huggy people out there, though fortunately I don't think any work with us in Vigil. Not directly." Anika might count, though! "Statuette was quite huggy, actually. She worked with Professor Payne, one of his guards, paying off their serum. She can transmute her body into nonorganic materials by touching them and keep moving, using internal molecular psychokinesis I think. I didn't get much chance to study exactly how she could walk around when her whole body was apparently solid concrete." A far more useful power than Felicity's, to an extent at least. Her hugs also could be quite uncomfortable. "If you mean didn't know you dislike being touched, no, people won't know. Unless you tell them, I mean. I'm... not as huggy as Statuette, but I wouldn't freeze like that either."

Felicity does smile at that last comment. "Yeah, we should. The sea here is beautiful."

Volleyball

((I was guessing 'shirt' because that's a letter away from a word that I think gets censored.))

"I have, but there were pirates and not enough time to play beach volleyball." Although maybe Mishnehel should have asked Lapis or Selekhael if they played. "All I know is there's two people on each side of the net and they're tossing the ball between them. I don't know how it's scored, or what's penalised or forbidden, or anything. All I know is what I've seen here- I don't even know what this game is called." She didn't have much time to learn how to play games, back before her ascension.

Ironsmith

2021-08-24, 08:03 PM

[Burger Theft]

Olvisin is obviously not going to eat the burger even if she retrieves it. Not after Jade held it in her mouth for a while. But it's still a matter of principle. The partygoers will be treated to the sight of a goblin chasing a fox all over the place for a while.

[Yakety Chase Sequence]

Siana looks up from her moonbathing as the two run by and gives Olvisin a friendly wave, recognizing her but not going out of her way to try to chase down the fox. Not after her last attempt at capturing a small quadrupedal mammal.

"I [i]think it's made out of silver, which means I doubt a radioactive scan will help, and I find it hard to imagine what kind of setup and safety features you'd have to do to get a large-scale MRI..." she says. Maybe with some fancy magic or sci-fi tech it could be done, but not even knowing which beach to narrow it down on makes it seem too large of a problem to feasibly tackle this way.

June leans her head back into the water, looking up at the sky.

"Maybe if I could narrow down which beach it was on, it would seem moderately feasible to find by scanning."
She sighs.
"Was literally shortly after I got here so I have no idea where anything was. There was an island with a fisherman, and then a port town, and then a couple other towns that I might recognize if I saw them, and a pretty large river, too. The place where it is is within walking distance of a river. Problem is, the I somehow ended up offending or something the only person who agreed to show me around and she ditched me in the middle of the ocean with no idea what anything was. Didn't even have a compass or questlog or whatever like she did. So...I dunno. It's been several months now and every day that passes is just another chance that a storm or an animal or a lucky kid ended up taking it."

[In The Water]

"A cold trail." Klaus summarizes. "We could set up a series of probes to scan the coastline. It would only take me about an hour to set up, and would free up some of your time to enjoy the wonderful party on the beach." He shrugs, which is much harder than it looks like it should be underwater. "Absolute worst case scenario is that we find out your tiara isn't anywhere around here, in which case you'll know by the end of the night instead of the end of the week."

Keiko decides that's quite long enough of a pause, if anyone was going to challenge Leah (lucky for them all they didn't!)

Yay! A draw! That's the best I've ever done!

[Bar]

Oh, no. A draw. That had to be the worst he'd ever done.

Braeg smiles and pats Keiko on the back. "Well done. Very well done." He says with a chuckle. "Unfortunately, it doesn't look like anyone else is interested in Cath Fili. Which is a shame. I don't know about you, but I rather enjoyed the stretch.

[B]Darker Beach

"Some people like being touched. There's really huggy people out there, though fortunately I don't think any work with us in Vigil. Not directly." Anika might count, though! "Statuette was quite huggy, actually. She worked with Professor Payne, one of his guards, paying off their serum. She can transmute her body into nonorganic materials by touching them and keep moving, using internal molecular psychokinesis I think. I didn't get much chance to study exactly how she could walk around when her whole body was apparently solid concrete." A far more useful power than Felicity's, to an extent at least. Her hugs also could be quite uncomfortable. "If you mean didn't know you dislike being touched, no, people won't know. Unless you tell them, I mean. I'm... not as huggy as Statuette, but I wouldn't freeze like that either."

Felicity does smile at that last comment. "Yeah, we should. The sea here is beautiful."

[Darker Beach]

Eun sighs and bobs her head to the side a little, internally conceding that, yeah, there were some people who liked being touched and hugged and such. She had to admit, sometimes it felt nice for her, too. Just... not with strangers. Or anyone stranger-adjacent.

Although, now that Felicity had started her along that other line of thought, it didn't take long for her to start wondering about a mostly-inexplicable feat of science they'd sort of glossed over before. "So... you said you used to make serums?" She prompts.

Fenric

2021-08-25, 09:37 AM

[Bar]

Keiko nods

That was fun, yes. And yeah: it is so very hard to get people around here to participate in anything poetry related. Poor Myobi hardly ever gets any takers for her Full Moon contests. And this month it will be "Summer" - it's hard to get easier than the basic season ones.

she looks thoughtful

I think the nobles back home mostly are the "duel to first blood" sort of thing. I'm not entirely sure, but the Arms Master had a lot of things that I had to learn that just don't seem all that practical in an actual fight.
But I'm a royal princess... nobody would ever dare challenge me, anyway. Not to say I couldn't get in trouble: all someone has to do is go tell Dad or Tammy.

And if Braeg remembers the conversation Keiko was having with Khannie about getting grounded, this would seem to be a fairly common occurrance.

Rebonack

2021-08-25, 10:52 AM

[Fire]

"They have ice cream too? That's cool! But I guess Arthfael won't want any since he can't enjoy anything."

Nothing.

Ever.

It's just terrible.

Oh hey look at Arthfael squirming.

A wide smile slowly creeps across Khannie face.

"Yeah, I'm Khannie! What sort of nothing have you heard about me?" she asks Arthfael's big sister.

Hooo boy this was going to be fun.

Ironsmith

2021-08-25, 11:06 AM

Keiko nods

That was fun, yes. And yeah: it is so very hard to get people around here to participate in anything poetry related. Poor Myobi hardly ever gets any takers for her Full Moon contests. And this month it will be "Summer" - it's hard to get easier than the basic season ones.

she looks thoughtful

I think the nobles back home mostly are the "duel to first blood" sort of thing. I'm not entirely sure, but the Arms Master had a lot of things that I had to learn that just don't seem all that practical in an actual fight.
But I'm a royal princess... nobody would ever dare challenge me, anyway. Not to say I couldn't get in trouble: all someone has to do is go tell Dad or Tammy.

And if Braeg remembers the conversation Keiko was having with Khannie about getting grounded, this would seem to be a fairly common occurrance.

[Bar]

"You have another contest at the Temple?" Braeg grins, stroking his beard. "Interesting... whereas I'm staying at the Temple anyway, I'll have to see about joining in the festivities."

Then he frowns at the bit about dueling. "Hmph. And they say we're uncivilized." He grumbles. "...We are, but that's beside the point."

[B]Fire
Achuak gives Arthfael a look and the lizardy equivalent of a snicker.
But he's not going to say anything... Yet.

[Fire]

"They have ice cream too? That's cool! But I guess Arthfael won't want any since he can't enjoy anything."

Nothing.

Ever.

It's just terrible.

Oh hey look at Arthfael squirming.

A wide smile slowly creeps across Khannie face.

"Yeah, I'm Khannie! What sort of nothing have you heard about me?" she asks Arthfael's big sister.

Hooo boy this was going to be fun.

[Fire]

"Nothing!" Arthfael whines, although it's clear that's not going to slow either of them down.

Owena shrugs. "Oh, he can have it." She says, putting one of the sundaes firmly into Arthfael's hands. "He just can't put up with the consequences and would prefer not to enjoy himself because he's got a chronic case of jerkface."

"You've got a chronic case of jerkface!" Arthfael counters lamely.

Owena smirks and leans in to Khannie, whispering this part so that only she can hear:

"He actually thinks you're really cool. Smart, funny, good with numbers, all of that. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he likes you."

Owena leans back and goes to hand one of the remaining sundaes to Achuak, before realizing that might not be such a good idea; chilled food, especially a chilled dairy product, might not be ideal cuisine for a lizardboy...

Zefir

2021-08-25, 06:18 PM

Volleyball

((I was guessing 'shirt' because that's a letter away from a word that I think gets censored.))

"I have, but there were pirates and not enough time to play beach volleyball." Although maybe Mishnehel should have asked Lapis or Selekhael if they played. "All I know is there's two people on each side of the net and they're tossing the ball between them. I don't know how it's scored, or what's penalised or forbidden, or anything. All I know is what I've seen here- I don't even know what this game is called." She didn't have much time to learn how to play games, back before her ascension.

Volleyball

"Volleyball." he says which schould clearly be the name of the game. "The basics I know are, you score if the ball touches the area you play in. If the ball lands anywhere outside it's a point for the other team. The ball belongs to the last team who touched it until someone else touches it or it get's to the ground. You can take the ball with every body part, but you can't touch it twice in a row and only 3 times befor an enemy must have touched it. I guess that sums up the raw basics."

Earl of Purple

2021-08-25, 07:53 PM

Zefir

2021-08-26, 06:45 AM

Volleyball

I guess those are the rules for the game there aren't many more? And i think it's hard to exclude anything since, but neither I or my char know more then a hobby player.

"My pleasure." he says with a grin and a slight bow.

Then he waves at the remaining players.

"Hey, you need another player?"

Rebonack

2021-08-26, 11:22 AM

[Burger Theft]

Yep.

This is exactly the time Tristan arrives.

Right as the young man steps out onto the beach a bright pink fox goes zipping past, shortly followed by a goblin.

Jade had sent a (poor) picture of a fox tail earlier. It was blurry and out of focus, but it was definitely pink.

No doubt this situation is going to require some very careful planning and-

Tristan will basically just take up position behind a salt-bleached log and leap out to grab Jade when she comes running past.

The fox will be given a stern look.

Stern!

[Fire]

Several very important things happen here.

First?

Khannie gets a sundae.

Second?

She gives a gasp of, "He LIKES me? Like, he LIKE likes me?" There's an underlying sense of shock here mostly because Khannie's BOYS! switch hasn't quite been flipped yet. Also? That exclamation was WAY louder than a whisper.

Fenric

2021-08-26, 11:28 AM

[Bar]

Keiko nods

Yep! Every month during the Full Moon party, and run by Myobi herself: she takes it very seriously. But... um... can't say I've ever participated in it, though. To be fair, it would be weird if i was the only one who put a poem in! Caroline always sits it out too, and guests tend to be to shy or something.

bc56

2021-08-26, 11:32 AM

Burger Theft
The pink fox, of course, is grabbed. She is very pink, but not many foxes have nine tails. It's definitely Jade. The burger falls from her mouth as she squirms in Tristan's grip. "Trishtan? Lemme go! Triiiishhtaaan!" She complains. She doesn't just sound drunk, her voice sounds strange. It sounds like someone played Jade's voice through a sparkly pink filter.
Olvisin will have no trouble catching up to her when she is so held.

Ironsmith

2021-08-26, 11:33 AM

Darker Beach

"Oh! Yeah, I... I'm not sure how it's all done, to be honest. Professor Payne kept a lot of it secret. I know how to make it, and many of the ingredients he used- extracts from all kinds of things, mandrake roots, triffid oil, pixie dust, and that sort of thing- but I don't know how he prepared or mixed the ingredients. I might be able to create a serum for you, if you want super powers. Professor Payne has... If he knows what each injection gives, more than just the most generic categories, he never let it slip. I won't be able to even insure it's a specific category, if I make one, and... they can react poorly with some individuals. I'd need to try it with some of your biological tissue to make sure it doesn't, y'know, kill you. Or worse." Felicity's power isn't great and can be frustrating, but also she's not dead and rarely wishes she was due to her power. Almost never, in fact.

[Darker Beach]

Eun's eyes widen at the prospect. "What? No! God, no!" She shakes her head vehemently. "I mean... no offense, but that doesn't strike me as a worthwhile tradeoff; possible death, definite mutilation, hopefully something useful. No, I... I was wondering more about the hows and whys of it." Eun sets her Hotbox to one side and sits up, crossing her legs. "For instance... in order for you to have flammable everything, not only your composition, but your entire metabolism would have to change. Protein synthesis, digestion, cellular growth... it would all have to be changed in such a way as to create flammable susbtances without compromising essential bodily functions. That is a lot harder that it sounds like it should be. In order to do that, you'd... you'd pretty much have to design a whole new genome. So what I want to know is, how in the world did you manage it?"

Volleyball

"Sounds a bit more than raw basics, but OK. I'll maybe take part in a bit. I want to watch another game first, now I know the rules." Even the raw basics are better than none. "I think they're a man down, if you want to show me what you've got?" Mishnehel grins at Zefir, and gestures to the court.

Volleyball

I guess those are the rules for the game there aren't many more? And i think it's hard to exclude anything since, but neither I or my char know more then a hobby player.

"My pleasure." he says with a grin and a slight bow.

Then he waves at the remaining players.

"Hey, you need another player?"

[Volleyball]

"Two, actually." Miranda corrects. "Rose just ran off to do other things. Said something about 'hearing there's a totally hawt dude dancing around here somewhere' before she left, so I don't expect to see her again for the rest of the night."

"You're still welcome to join us." Vlad adds, with a friendly smile to Zefir and a way-too-friendly smile to Mishnehel.

[Bar]

Keiko nods

Yep! Every month during the Full Moon party, and run by Myobi herself: she takes it very seriously. But... um... can't say I've ever participated in it, though. To be fair, it would be weird if i was the only one who put a poem in! Caroline always sits it out too, and guests tend to be to shy or something.

[Bar]

"Well, worry no more." Braeg chuckles. "If there's a poetry contest to be had, consider me a participant. Who knows, perhaps witnessing a challenger will shake things up a little. Drum up some more competitors, possibly."

Earl of Purple

2021-08-26, 05:14 PM

Darker Beach

"The mutation isn't guaranteed. And they aren't all as... obvious as mine." Felicity is actually one of three Paynian supers I play with a mutation, not counting Statuette or Heavyhanded whose powers affect their bodies directly, and of those three Shocker's is only obvious when he uses his power. (Felicity's skin-colour wasn't always the ashy colour it is now.) "I chose to do this because... I was young, and stupid, and thought I might get telekinesis, or something useful, and to prove that I could make it. The how... Well, the ingredients are all supernatural stuff, and Professor Payne did a lot of the preparing it ready to be mixed and stuff. So, unfortunately, I don't know enough about how it was done to tell you more than that- or reverse it, so I can actually grow my hair out and worry about burning myself on candles, rather than burning down buildings because I got too close." She knew enough to make it from the pre-prepared substances, but she's unaware of how those pre-prepared substances were prepared.

Volleyball

"Um, sure. I'm up for that, but... I've never even seen someone play this game before. You up for joining me?" She looks at Zefir with that, and smiles. "I'm Mishnehel, I'll... stay like this I think." Mishnehel's folded her body to appear as human as this, and doesn't have to stay this way.

Morty

2021-08-26, 06:33 PM

[Burger Theft]

Olvisin does catch up, out of breath by now. She grins triumphantly.

"Aha! Thanks for catching this burger-stealing fox. I'm not going to eat this burger now, but... you know. Theft shouldn't go unpunished."

Ironsmith

2021-08-26, 11:15 PM

[Fire]

Several very important things happen here.

First?

Khannie gets a sundae.

Second?

She gives a gasp of, "He LIKES me? Like, he LIKE likes me?" There's an underlying sense of shock here mostly because Khannie's BOYS! switch hasn't quite been flipped yet. Also? That exclamation was WAY louder than a whisper.

[Fire]

Arthfael opens his mouth to bail himself out of this, but Owena reacts faster.

"What? No, of course not. Guy's only got a few months on you." Owena shrugs. "But he still likes you. There's only, like, maybe three other people who can claim that, so you're doing something right." She smiles and gives Khannie's hair a little ruffle.

Arthfael's mouth closes and he shrugs. Yeah. Okay. Sure. We'll go with that.

"Just keep on doing what you're doing, kid. It might not always look like it, but you are getting through to him." Owena gives Arthfael a pointed glare, the kind that says "and if you want her to stick around, you'll definitely want to make it more obvious".

Darker Beach

"The mutation isn't guaranteed. And they aren't all as... obvious as mine." Felicity is actually one of three Paynian supers I play with a mutation, not counting Statuette or Heavyhanded whose powers affect their bodies directly, and of those three Shocker's is only obvious when he uses his power. (Felicity's skin-colour wasn't always the ashy colour it is now.) "I chose to do this because... I was young, and stupid, and thought I might get telekinesis, or something useful, and to prove that I could make it. The how... Well, the ingredients are all supernatural stuff, and Professor Payne did a lot of the preparing it ready to be mixed and stuff. So, unfortunately, I don't know enough about how it was done to tell you more than that- or reverse it, so I can actually grow my hair out and worry about burning myself on candles, rather than burning down buildings because I got too close." She knew enough to make it from the pre-prepared substances, but she's unaware of how those pre-prepared substances were prepared.

[Darker Beach]

Young and stupid. On the one hand, that sounded about right. On the other hand, it was hard to picture the latter ever applying to Felicity.

Actually... she was pretty reckless with her experiments. Did that count? It probably counted.

Eun smiles a little. "Well... why don't you bring the ingredients by my lab sometime? A fresh pair of eyes means fresh observations. I can't make any promises, but... genome sequencing is a much less 'soft' science than space-folding."

Zefir

2021-08-27, 02:03 AM

Volleyball

"Um, sure. I'm up for that, but... I've never even seen someone play this game before. You up for joining me?" She looks at Zefir with that, and smiles. "I'm Mishnehel, I'll... stay like this I think." Mishnehel's folded her body to appear as human as this, and doesn't have to stay this way.

Volleyball

Wasn't she looking like an elf? or Half elf`?

"Sure." he replies. "I'm Zefir." Zefir doesn't know she can change her body. He assumes she means her bikini.
"As long as it fit's for the exercise." He keeps his shirt on as well.

Then he turns the the others.

"Anything we need to know?"

Recaiden

2021-08-27, 10:35 AM

Ironsmith

2021-08-27, 11:14 AM

l
Volleyball

"Um, sure. I'm up for that, but... I've never even seen someone play this game before. You up for joining me?" She looks at Zefir with that, and smiles. "I'm Mishnehel, I'll... stay like this I think." Mishnehel's folded her body to appear as human as this, and doesn't have to stay this way.

Volleyball

Wasn't she looking like an elf? or Half elf`?

"Sure." he replies. "I'm Zefir." Zefir doesn't know she can change her body. He assumes she means her bikini.
"As long as it fit's for the exercise." He keeps his shirt on as well.

Then he turns the the others.

"Anything we need to know?"

[Volleyball]

"I'm Miranda, and this is Vlad." Miranda introduces them. "Say 'hi', Vlad."

"Hi, Vlad."

Miranda cringes. "That one's on me. Anyway, yeah, we can get started as soon as we have teams figured out. Would you two rather stick together, or..?" Miranda gestures between the two of them. "Either way works for us."

Fenric

2021-08-27, 11:18 AM

[Bar]

Keiko giggles at Anchor

Oh come now, you can't be sure of losing to me!

Rebonack

2021-08-27, 11:40 AM

[Burger Theft]

Very pink.

So very pink.

"What in God's name did you get into, Jade?" Tristan asks, utterly baffled by all this nonsense. Then he offers an apologetic smile to Olvisin. "Sorry. She isn't normally like this. The whole... pink thing. Or the burger stealing thing. I think she was sending me some drunken texts earlier."

He'll reach out and try to pry the burger away from the fox.

Hopefully he doesn't get nipped.

"That isn't yours, Jade. You don't get to steal people's food."

Just because you're a pink fox that doesn't make it okay to pilfer burgs.

bc56

2021-08-27, 11:54 AM

Burger Theft
It's easy to take the burger, because Jade already dropped it when she was picked up. "Trishtan, I don no. I wash huungry! Lem me down!" Jade paws at Tristan and squirms but is outmassed and overpowered. So she instead changes back into a humanoid foxperson with pink hair and tails, in a sparkly pink bikini. She's still being held by Tristan though. "Why do you sheem sho angry?" She seems to be misinterpreting his emotions, and she's definitely drunk.

Morty

2021-08-27, 12:44 PM

[Burger Theft]

"Well, I've never met a fox, a fox-person, a pink example of either, or one that would steal my food." Olvisin shrugs. "So it's all really new to me. Do you know her? Because it looks like she's got something to sleep off."

[Bonfires]

After talking to some people and clearing a space, Fayyaad disappears for a while, then returns dressed in a new outfit (https://i.imgur.com/srb4fQz.jpg). He bows and begins to dance.

It starts out slow, with wide swings of his hips, his tail trailing behind him in a hypnotising pattern and his hands behind his neck. The slow movement is suddenly interrupted by his hand stretching outward in a brisk motion, shooting out jets of flame. He returns to his original rhythm, but noticeably faster, hands moving up and down in a pattern that mirrors that of his tail, but trail wisps of bright flame behind them. It seems the show is only just starting and picking up speed.

Ironsmith

2021-08-27, 05:36 PM

[Bonfires]

After talking to some people and clearing a space, Fayyaad disappears for a while, then returns dressed in a new outfit (https://i.imgur.com/srb4fQz.jpg). He bows and begins to dance.

It starts out slow, with wide swings of his hips, his tail trailing behind him in a hypnotising pattern and his hands behind his neck. The slow movement is suddenly interrupted by his hand stretching outward in a brisk motion, shooting out jets of flame. He returns to his original rhythm, but noticeably faster, hands moving up and down in a pattern that mirrors that of his tail, but trail wisps of bright flame behind them. It seems the show is only just starting and picking up speed.

[Bonfires]

Naturally, Fayyaad moving around like that was bound to attract some attention. There'll be a small crowd gathering, with Rose among them; she'd heard rumors of a "flaming hot guy" dancing further up the beach, and was delighted to learn they were both literally and metaphorically true. After all, Fayyaad is a-

Wait a minute. She knows this guy.

Well, not knows knows. She's seen him around. He was one of MERC's affiliates, yeah? That had to be it. Not that she wouldn't recognize a face (or any other part, for that matter) like that if she'd just seen him in a crowd, but he was definitely more familiar than that.

And, if her little black book was all up to date... she hadn't really taken any time to get to know him yet.

"Well. I know what I'm doing with my night." Rose chuckles to herself, settling in to watch the show.

Earl of Purple

2021-08-27, 08:05 PM

Darker Beach

Felicity tends to a very clever kind of stupid, or maybe it's a very stupid kind of clever.

"I'll... have to see what I can do about sourcing them. Some are probably easier than others, and some might be tricky or dangerous to handle. Triffid oil, vargouille spit, doxy venom, kyldren ichor, that kind of thing. And Professor Payne buys any weird biological sample someone brings to him, regardless of what is it." And he prepares them as well; Felicity doesn't know he uses alchemy as much as science.

Volleyball

Half-elf is right. 'Humanoid' may have been a better term.

"We've just met, so... I don't mind going with Vlad or Zefir. What's your thoughts, Zefir and Vlad? Who'd like to be hampered with me? My whole volleyball experience is the game I watched just now." Just in case Miranda or Vlad weren't listening when she told Zefir that, she might as well ensure everyone knows what's up.

Bar

"Something like that, I think. You're right, I maybe should go find them, let them know I've got my shadow back. Thanks, Anchor." Jack grins and gets up, her shadow following a few moments later.

Ironsmith

2021-08-28, 02:31 PM

Darker Beach

Felicity tends to a very clever kind of stupid, or maybe it's a very stupid kind of clever.

"I'll... have to see what I can do about sourcing them. Some are probably easier than others, and some might be tricky or dangerous to handle. Triffid oil, vargouille spit, doxy venom, kyldren ichor, that kind of thing. And Professor Payne buys any weird biological sample someone brings to him, regardless of what is it." And he prepares them as well; Felicity doesn't know he uses alchemy as much as science.

[Darker Beach]

"...So you're saying that, on top of substances that I'd have to analyze on some level I haven't seen yet, there could concievably be any organic compound mixture in it?" Eun sighs. That was going to be a lot harder than she at first expected. But, at the same time, that was still more analyzable than space-folding. "...My offer still stands." She says finally.

5a Violista

2021-08-28, 06:47 PM

[In The Water]

"A cold trail." Klaus summarizes. "We could set up a series of probes to scan the coastline. It would only take me about an hour to set up, and would free up some of your time to enjoy the wonderful party on the beach." He shrugs, which is much harder than it looks like it should be underwater. "Absolute worst case scenario is that we find out your tiara isn't anywhere around here, in which case you'll know by the end of the night instead of the end of the week."

[In the Water]

June nods: "Okay, then," she says. "Let's do it."

She takes a moment to think, then remembers something she had been meaning to ask him earlier.
"Oh! So, I was thinking, after practicing getting around and such, I was wondering if you think you could make something with that box of yours," she says. "Like, you know those superhero grappling hooks? Like, wrist-mounted or maybe hip-mounted. I was thinking if I had one of those, it would make it a lot easier foro me to get around, because to fly I need to get some height and that seems like it'd be a lot easier than climbing all the time."

[By bonfire]

Venus moves over to the bonfires to watch.

Zefir

2021-08-29, 06:32 AM

Volleyball

"I'm fine if we play together." Zefir says.
"I have to admit, I haven't played it for a long time and I did play it for fun. Which means I'm not that good either."

Ironsmith

2021-08-29, 10:49 AM

Volleyball

Half-elf is right. 'Humanoid' may have been a better term.

"We've just met, so... I don't mind going with Vlad or Zefir. What's your thoughts, Zefir and Vlad? Who'd like to be hampered with me? My whole volleyball experience is the game I watched just now." Just in case Miranda or Vlad weren't listening when she told Zefir that, she might as well ensure everyone knows what's up.

Volleyball

"I'm fine if we play together." Zefir says.
"I have to admit, I haven't played it for a long time and I did play it for fun. Which means I'm not that good either."

[Volleyball]
Miranda frowns. "Well, in that case, putting you both on the same team would be just unfair. You'd just get creamed and that wouldn't be fun for anyone."

"I dunno, it'd be a little fun." Vlad shrugs.

"So, here's what we're going to do." Miranda smiles. "Zefir, why don't you go with Vlad? And you, lady, you'll be with me. That should just about even out the experience going into both teams."

"Now, hold on... you're telling me I'm going up against both my old boss and this pretty young thing? Are you trying to make sure I'm too distracted to play?"

"Think of it as an exercise in self-discipline. We both know you could use it."

[In the Water]

June nods: "Okay, then," she says. "Let's do it."

She takes a moment to think, then remembers something she had been meaning to ask him earlier.
"Oh! So, I was thinking, after practicing getting around and such, I was wondering if you think you could make something with that box of yours," she says. "Like, you know those superhero grappling hooks? Like, wrist-mounted or maybe hip-mounted. I was thinking if I had one of those, it would make it a lot easier foro me to get around, because to fly I need to get some height and that seems like it'd be a lot easier than climbing all the time."

[In The Water]

"Only marginally." Klaus replies, starting back toward the beach. "Have you considered what that would actually be like? You're looking at being dragged around by your wrist for minutes at a time. And if you want to reduce that time, you're looking at potentially pulling your arm out of its socket." He shrugs. "You could go with the hip-mounted model if you prefer, but then you run into issues with deployment. You'd need a much more complex setup than you're suggesting; which, in turn, would necessitate a redesign of your dress. There's a reason you only ever see superheroes using those things."

He points to the wings on June's back. "It'd be far more beneficial to create some sort of contraption to help you take off from ground level. Regardless, I can 'make' one, yes, but it wouldn't be a recipe I just have lying around. There'd be a lot of R&D going into that device. Admittedly, not quite my forte... usually, that kind of job would be outsourced to Lustig or Bu."

Rebonack

2021-08-29, 12:25 PM

[Burger Theft]

It should be noted that Tristan is quite strong even in human shape, but when someone suddenly shifts from fox-sized to human sized in the span of an eyeblink that's a very large change in weight.

Which means Tristan shouts something incoherent and topples forward right on top of Jade.

Which means in turn that the antics probably aren't up just yet.

Now trying to disentangle himself from Jade's mess of tails, Tristan insists, "I'm not angry Jade just a little exasperated. I had to cut some important research short to come over here and make sure you're okay and you're stealing people's sandwiches."

Why.

Seriously, why?

Why would she be stealing burgers? Is this some kind of joke he's missing out on?

"Yeah I know her, she's my girlfriend," Tristan admits.

[Fire]

Oh.

Okay.

Khannie can live with being friends.

This weird kid wanting to be her BOYFRIEND would be weird. Khannie doesn't even want a boyfriend. But that might just be because puberty hasn't dropkicked her yet.

"Alright I'm good with friends. Are you sure you don't want a sundae, Arthfael they're really good," Khannie says, waving the ice cream enticingly.

bc56

2021-08-29, 01:34 PM

Burger Theft
Jade is laughing and rubbing her head against Tristan as he struggles to get off of her. "You're sho chuute." She laughs again at the stealing sandwiches quip. "Buh I wash huungry! I'm glad you cood come shee me, Trishtan." He should probably find out why she's acting strange, how much she's had to drink, and why she's so pink. Those are all important things.

Morty

2021-08-29, 04:50 PM

[Burger Theft]

Olvisin almost says "I'm sorry to hear that" or something along those lines when Tristan says he's Jade's boyfriend. But she realizes how rude it would sound and doesn't.

"So long as she doesn't steal more burgers, I guess. Or other food. It's a good thing it wasn't goblin food, that might have been bad for her."

[Bonfires]

Fayyaad, of course, delights in the attention. That is why he decided to dance here today. He ups the tempo of his dance, his hands weaving a dazzling pattern, between the flames trailing behind them and the bright color of his sleeves. He switches to more circular motions, turning his entire body round and round with his arms first crossed on his chest, then outstretched, shooting thin tongues of flame into the night air, shadows dancing and mixing with those created by the bonfire.

In the final stage of the performance, the tiefling returns to walking back and forth across the sand, twisting his upper body and creating circles with his arms. This time, instead of gouts of flame, each of them is surrounded by a white-hot aura, that leaves after-images behind it. He finishes the dance by bursting into motion again, jumping into the air and spinning, before landing on the sand, kneeling on one knee, arms outstretched. He nods to the audience with a grin.

Ironsmith

2021-08-29, 06:28 PM

[Fire]

Oh.

Okay.

Khannie can live with being friends.

This weird kid wanting to be her BOYFRIEND would be weird. Khannie doesn't even want a boyfriend. But that might just be because puberty hasn't dropkicked her yet.

"Alright I'm good with friends. Are you sure you don't want a sundae, Arthfael they're really good," Khannie says, waving the ice cream enticingly.

[Fire]

"I... er..." Arthfael sort of stumbles over his words for a moment.

"Nobody's going to make you if you don't want to. But..." Owena takes a spoonful for herself and gives a satisfied little smile. "...she's right. They really are good."

"But uncle-"

"Won't mind. It's a party. You can indulge a little."

Arthfael gives her a sidelong stare and slowly accepts the sundae. "...You know if I get in trouble for this, I'm totally tattling on you."

"Ooh. Not cool, little brother. Not cool at all." Owena smirks and stands. "Anyway, I should get going. You three have fun, okay?"

As she turns to leave, Arthfael sighs and slowly shakes his head. He wasn't sure whether he was mad at her or glad she came. Who was the evil genius who invented big sisters?

[Bonfires]

Fayyaad, of course, delights in the attention. That is why he decided to dance here today. He ups the tempo of his dance, his hands weaving a dazzling pattern, between the flames trailing behind them and the bright color of his sleeves. He switches to more circular motions, turning his entire body round and round with his arms first crossed on his chest, then outstretched, shooting thin tongues of flame into the night air, shadows dancing and mixing with those created by the bonfire.

In the final stage of the performance, the tiefling returns to walking back and forth across the sand, twisting his upper body and creating circles with his arms. This time, instead of gouts of flame, each of them is surrounded by a white-hot aura, that leaves after-images behind it. He finishes the dance by bursting into motion again, jumping into the air and spinning, before landing on the sand, kneeling on one knee, arms outstretched. He nods to the audience with a grin.

[Bonfires]

There is, of course, much applause and whistling and a few calls for an encore. Over the course of the performance, Rose had subtly made her way to the front, and was now joining in the applause rather vigorously, maintaining eye contact with Fayyaad the whole time (or at least, what would be eye contact if he saw her in the audience). If and when he does see her looking at him, she'll give him a flirtatious wink; a small gesture, but it might as well be a neon sign telling him "Hey! You've got an admirer!".

Morty

2021-08-30, 08:41 AM

Rebonack

2021-08-30, 12:27 PM

[Burger Theft]

That would in fact be a pretty rude thing to say.

Tristan manages to extract herself from the tail-tangle, stooping down to offer Jade a hand up. "Yes, you're cute too. Also drunk. We'll get you a burger and a replacement for our friend's here. Also."

Stern face!

Stern voice!

"You need to apologize for stealing... ummm..." Tristain pauses, raising an eyebrow at the goblin woman.

What's her name again?

He's got no idea.

Hopefully she supplies it.

bc56

2021-08-30, 01:28 PM

Burger Theft
"I'm shorry, mish..." She doesn't know the name either. "I wash hungry." Getting extra burgers is easy. The barmaid has actually prepared a third burger for Olvisin already. She saw what happened. But she'd better be careful not to get it stolen again.

5a Violista

2021-08-30, 05:22 PM

[In the water]

June shrugs, and then leans back, just letting herself float for now. "Figured I lose nothing in asking," she says. "If you can't do it, then I can just make my own. Just need a rope and some kind of hook. Honestly, going to be hard to find a good enough hook, but finding the right kind of knot to use should be as easy as finding a sailor and asking her."

Ironsmith

2021-08-30, 09:26 PM

Fayyaad bows to the crowd, but no encore will be coming just yet. This dance is fairly taxing on him, both in simple physical terms and by expending firepower. He takes a few breaths and... hmm. Did that woman wink at him? Certainly not surprising, after this performance. He approaches her, wiping his brow somewhat theatrically.

[B]"I hope the performance was to your liking," he says.

Rose smirks. "Oh, yes." She giggles. "You showed a lot of... expertise, with your form and technique."

She stops for a moment before bursting out into giggle fits.

"I'm sorry! My brain's going to some dirty places right now." She jokes. "Might have something to do with all these people walking around in what would be their underwear if it wasn't waterproof." She extends her hand. "Rose Verdoyant. You're with MERC, too, aren't you?"

[[B]In the water]

June shrugs, and then leans back, just letting herself float for now. "Figured I lose nothing in asking," she says. "If you can't do it, then I can just make my own. Just need a rope and some kind of hook. Honestly, going to be hard to find a good enough hook, but finding the right kind of knot to use should be as easy as finding a sailor and asking her."

[In The Water]

"Hm. Simple. Effective. But probably still slower than you would like." Klaus shrugs. "Besides, I didn't say that I can't do it, or even that I won't. Just understand that it will take time to do properly; you won't find it under your pillow tomorrow." There's a wrinkle around his eyes that suggests he's smiling at her. "You're my friend, June. Of course I'm going to do you a favor every now and then."

It wouldn't be the first time, or the last, that Klaus told her a lie that brazen. But he was going to see about that grappling harness. Anything that made her a more effective agent would only serve to benefit him. Extra brownie points would just be a serendipitous bonus.

Morty

2021-08-31, 04:08 PM

"Olvisin." The goblin shakes her head. "Alright, let's go get some more burgers. And watch her so she doesn't steal another one."

[Bonfires]

Fayyaad reaches out and shakes her hand.

[B]"I am, yes. Fayyaad ibn Haashid al-Zafar. We haven't met, but clearly you've heard of me. And no need to apologize for... this kind of thought. This dance does invite them somewhat."

Earl of Purple

2021-09-01, 02:51 PM

Darker Beach

"I'm afraid so." There's a reason why Professor Payne hired Felicity the biochemistry student as a lab tech. "I appreciate that, thank you. I've got some experience in this area, not just analysing some of the substances but also, like, a biochemistry background." Felicity would hug Eun now, but... no touching yet.

Volleyball

Mishnehel smirks at Vlad. "A sure fire way to impress a girl, beat her horribly in a game she's still learning." Since he said it'd be a 'little fun', and she's feeling cheeky.

"I'm Mishnehel, pleased to meet you. Just... Hit the ball back at them when it's our side of the net, and if it touches the ground on our side we lose, right?" Nothing like tennis, where the ball has to bounce before it's hit over the net. Earl thinks.

Ironsmith

2021-09-01, 06:46 PM

Fayyaad reaches out and shakes her hand.

[B]"I am, yes. Fayyaad ibn Haashid al-Zafar. We haven't met, but clearly you've heard of me. And no need to apologize for... this kind of thought. This dance does invite them somewhat."

"Rose Verdoyant. I've seen you around the office, yeah." Rose smiles. "And good. Then I hope you don't mind if I act on certain, much tamer thoughts. Namely, 'can I buy this prime specimen of a man a drink?'" She rolls her shoulder in such a way as to indicate the bar.

Ugh. She's coming on way too strong to not be up to something. You can't really be giving this girl more than the time of day, right, Fay? The ring gives him an envious burst of heat.

[B]Darker Beach

"I'm afraid so." There's a reason why Professor Payne hired Felicity the biochemistry student as a lab tech. "I appreciate that, thank you. I've got some experience in this area, not just analysing some of the substances but also, like, a biochemistry background." Felicity would hug Eun now, but... no touching yet.

[Darker Beach]

Eun sighs. "Well." She says, retrieving what was left of her drink. "Here's to a little good, old-fashioned puzzle-solving, then." She holds it up like a toast, only to realize Felicity did not have a drink of her own, and quickly pulls it back, sipping on it awkwardly. "Why do I do things?" She laments, not quite internally.

Zefir

2021-09-02, 03:02 AM

Volleyball

Isn't it called volley when you take the ball out of the air in tennis?

"Fine by me." he says about the team building. They are right that they would properbly loose horrible. Currently he doesn't seem to be a friend of Vlad. He doesn't like the arogant type and he assumes he might be annoying during the game. Either he will try to claim everything or blame him if something goes wrong. Let's hope he will at least be good.

Morty

2021-09-02, 12:58 PM

[B]"Prime specimen? I can add that to the list of things I've been called," Fayyaad replies cheerfully. Any signals the ring is sending him go unheeded. "But by all means, let us go. It'll be my my pleasure."

Ironsmith

2021-09-02, 01:13 PM

Volleyball

Mishnehel smirks at Vlad. "A sure fire way to impress a girl, beat her horribly in a game she's still learning." Since he said it'd be a 'little fun', and she's feeling cheeky.

"I'm Mishnehel, pleased to meet you. Just... Hit the ball back at them when it's our side of the net, and if it touches the ground on our side we lose, right?" Nothing like tennis, where the ball has to bounce before it's hit over the net. Earl thinks.

Volleyball

Isn't it called volley when you take the ball out of the air in tennis?

"Fine by me." he says about the team building. They are right that they would properbly loose horrible. Currently he doesn't seem to be a friend of Vlad. He doesn't like the arogant type and he assumes he might be annoying during the game. Either he will try to claim everything or blame him if something goes wrong. Let's hope he will at least be good.

[Volleyball]

Miranda smiles and welcomes Mishnehel to her team. "That's right, yeah." She gives the "elf" a little fist-bump. "Don't worry. You're gonna do fine."

Vlad claps Zefir on the shoulder and grins. "All right, buddy. You just got yourself the best team you can get. You ready to win this thing?"

"Oh-ho, you wanna bet?" Miranda goads playfully.

Vlad chuckles and serves the ball, popping it over the net towards Mishnehel.

[B]"Prime specimen? I can add that to the list of things I've been called," Fayyaad replies cheerfully. Any signals the ring is sending him go unheeded. "But by all means, let us go. It'll be my my pleasure."

[Bonfires -> Bar]

Rose smirks and leads him to the bar, staying about a meter ahead the whole way. Her gait is deliberately unsteady, putting a certain emphasis on the way her hips pivot back and forth as she walks; she's definitely trying to keep Fayyaad's attention on her.

...Hey... that little vixen's using my move! Get your own material, lady!

"Can I get a pina colada for myself, and one of whatever this gentleman right here wants?" Rose orders, plopping a pair of jeweled coins onto the counter.

Oooh. She's got money. So impressive. Fayyaad's ring smoulders a little, doing the enchanted item equivalent of grumbling in a corner.

Morty

2021-09-02, 03:57 PM

Earl of Purple

2021-09-02, 04:57 PM

Darker Beach

Earl had thought Felicity had a glass of lemonade, but if not she'll mime a glass to chink against Eun's, and say 'chink!' as she does so. She smiles and giggles as well, because Felicity doesn't mind being silly. "I'm... I'm glad you do things, Eun. You're... I think it's sweet." Eun comes across as awkward, though Felicity knows she's smart and apparently into her, since she's asked Felicity out on a date- and they're kinda doing one now.

Of course, Eun doesn't know Felicity thinks it's a date, and Felicity doesn't know Eun doesn't know she thinks it's a date.

Volleyball

Mishnehel fistbumps back and gets into position for the game.

Mishnehel jumps up to bat the ball back over, trying to aim towards Zefir. She's probably broadcasting it, but she's hoping he's a little new to this and doesn't see it coming in time.

Ironsmith

2021-09-02, 08:11 PM

To Fayyaaad's credit, he notices how unsubtly Rose is trying to get his attention. He's seen it before, after all, many times. But it's not like he minds.

[B]"Some wine, if you have any," he says. "A sweet one, I think. All that dancing has left me parched."

"Fitting." Rose comments with a smile. "I had you pegged as a 'sweet' kind of guy."

Shoot me now.

"So, before we go crazy with the drinks and anything that may or may not follow after..." Rose gives another playful wink. "I have to ask. Are you seeing anyone right now? You know, like, seriously?"

What's that all about? It wouldn't matter if he was, right?

[B]Darker Beach

Earl had thought Felicity had a glass of lemonade, but if not she'll mime a glass to chink against Eun's, and say 'chink!' as she does so. She smiles and giggles as well, because Felicity doesn't mind being silly. "I'm... I'm glad you do things, Eun. You're... I think it's sweet." Eun comes across as awkward, though Felicity knows she's smart and apparently into her, since she's asked Felicity out on a date- and they're kinda doing one now.

Of course, Eun doesn't know Felicity thinks it's a date, and Felicity doesn't know Eun doesn't know she thinks it's a date.

[Darker Beach]

Even with as dimly lit as this part of the beach is, Eun visibly reddens when Felicity compliments her. It was an odd choice of quality to point out, her being "sweet", but that only made it more flattering. Eun hadn't really thought of what she was doing as abnormally nice; Felicity presented her with a thing to study, and she was following through, as much out of curiosity as a desire to help. Her motives were still kind of selfish, weren't they?

...Not to Felicity, apparently.

It still felt a little weird, getting a compliment like that from someone she barely knew. But then again, she walked into this encounter (well, Klaus had dragged her in, but whatever) expecting Felicity to be all mad at her, and here she was, being all goofy and nice. Her expectations seemed to be way off regardless.

Eun needed to look into psychology sometime. It was going to be a challenging field.

"...Thank you." She says finally, with a nervous little smile, way later than might be considered comfortable.

Zefir

2021-09-03, 01:41 AM

Morty

2021-09-03, 02:19 PM

Fayyaad's eyebrows rise a little at the "'sweet' kind of guy" comment. Laying it on pretty thick, isn't she?

[B]"I'm not involved with anyone in a way that would get in the way of enjoying myself with someone else, if what's what you mean," he says. "I'm a free spirit in this regard."

Ironsmith

2021-09-03, 07:56 PM

Volleyball

Mishnehel fistbumps back and gets into position for the game.

Mishnehel jumps up to bat the ball back over, trying to aim towards Zefir. She's probably broadcasting it, but she's hoping he's a little new to this and doesn't see it coming in time.

Volleyball

Zefir has good reflexes and notice in time that the ball is aimed at him. Only his recive is bad as the ball flies a little uncontrolled into Vlads direction.

[Volleyball]

The ball smacks Vlad square in the face, causing him to stumble back onto the sand, holding his nose. "Sorry. That one's my bad." He says, tossing the ball over to Miranda.

She catches it and offers Mishnehel a high-five. "Nice shot!" She grins. "Would you like to do the honors this time?"

Fayyaad's eyebrows rise a little at the "'sweet' kind of guy" comment. Laying it on pretty thick, isn't she?

[B]"I'm not involved with anyone in a way that would get in the way of enjoying myself with someone else, if what's what you mean," he says. "I'm a free spirit in this regard."

[Bar]

"Really?" Rose grins excitedly. "Me, too. It's, like, the way to go about it if you aren't trying for babies, yeah?"

Aw. Humans are so cute when they're trying to be slutty.

Rose takes a sip of her drink and lets out a contented sigh. "So... where'd you learn to dance like that?" She asks, moving away from overt flirting for now.

5a Violista

2021-09-03, 09:16 PM

Morty

2021-09-04, 09:26 AM

[B]"In my homeland." Fayyaad takes his glass of wine. "It's a form of dance that's popular there. Or rather a bit of a mix of two forms of dance. I learned to dance to perfect my pyromancy... that is, the flames you saw me fire off. I started with a religious form of dance, then moved on to the performative style I just showed."

Ironsmith

2021-09-04, 01:54 PM

[In the Water]

June isn't sure why Klaus thinks a rope would be 'slower than she likes'. If she can climb high enough in seconds then there's no value in going faster. "I don't know what you're thinking it would be like, but it sounds like it really would be better if I just make it myself to avoid having something weird that I couldn't get to work how I need it to."

[In the Water]

"If you insist on that, I won't stop you." Klaus shrugs, now close enough to start walking up the beach. "But know the offer stands if it turns out a rope and a piece of bent metal doesn't doesn't meet your needs."

[B]"In my homeland." Fayyaad takes his glass of wine. "It's a form of dance that's popular there. Or rather a bit of a mix of two forms of dance. I learned to dance to perfect my pyromancy... that is, the flames you saw me fire off. I started with a religious form of dance, then moved on to the performative style I just showed."

[Bar]

"Must be some religion." Rose quips. "It was a little difficult to tell where one began and the other ended." She smiles. "Of course, that probably comes down to the skill of the performer in mixing the two so seamlessly."

Fayyaad's ring flushes indignantly, but doesn't have anything witty to add. Not that it matters, since both of these people were completely oblivious to her wit anyway.

Meanwhile, Rose was already sort of floundering for subjects. She mentally goes over the more common ones: family, occupation, recreation, motivation. The old standbys. She internally shuffles them around and picks one.

"So... if you don't mind my asking, why MERC?" She asks.

Morty

2021-09-04, 03:23 PM

Earl of Purple

2021-09-05, 07:41 PM

Darker Beach

It's simple, Eun. Even though your motives are selfish, you're still offering to help, and help always deserves thanks. Because thanks can make the brain release feel-good chemicals which can be enough of a selfish motive to get people without other motives to help.

Felicity isn't that cynical, however, she's just thanking Eun for offering to help with a problem that isn't her speciality and which Felicity- who got herself in the position to need help in the first place- is struggling with. "No, Eun. You're a physicist, and you're offering help with a biochemical problem using exotic materials and substances that don't always behave as one might expect. Triffid oil at least is oil, even if it's pink." Some of the stuff she uses is stranger than an extract from a moving predatory plant.

Volleyball

"Uh, sure!" Mishnehel takes the ball and thwacks it back over the net, aiming it as close to the middle between Zefir and Vlad as she can.

Ironsmith

2021-09-05, 09:48 PM

[B]"Not much of a story to it. I had to do something to earn my keep around here. And using my skills at MERC seemed like the best option." Fayyaad takes a sip of the wine. "And I met one of their senior officers, Dena Xifhara. She recommended the place to me and helped me get my license." She also brought him there for other purposes, but he won't mention that for now.

"Same, more or less." Rose shrugs. "I mean, in my case, it was Olvisin, but other than that, a pretty familiar story." She smiles. "All right, that was a little too easy, wasn't it? What about before MERC?" She gives him a playful poke in the ribs. "I'm guessing... travelling show?"

[B]Darker Beach

It's simple, Eun. Even though your motives are selfish, you're still offering to help, and help always deserves thanks. Because thanks can make the brain release feel-good chemicals which can be enough of a selfish motive to get people without other motives to help.

Felicity isn't that cynical, however, she's just thanking Eun for offering to help with a problem that isn't her speciality and which Felicity- who got herself in the position to need help in the first place- is struggling with. "No, Eun. You're a physicist, and you're offering help with a biochemical problem using exotic materials and substances that don't always behave as one might expect. Triffid oil at least is oil, even if it's pink." Some of the stuff she uses is stranger than an extract from a moving predatory plant.

[Darker Beach]

"Well, not strictly." Eun corrects. "I do my share of chemistry. Biomechanical engineering. Software programming. Quantum physics, robotics... I even have a nuerology degree." She smirks a little. "I... got a little tired of explaining I wasn't 'that kind of doctor'." She elaborates. "...But even so, yeah, I get your point. Believe me when I say it's the first thing on my mind. The Nexus is weird. It started being weird well before I got here, and it isn't showing any signs of stopping anytime soon. I might as well learn to handle it at some point."

Zefir

2021-09-06, 02:53 AM

Volleyball

Mishnehel seems to be quiet good at this game, even thought she never played it befor. Hard to imagone she just plays this for the first time.
Zefir is good enougth at prediction to forsee the trap. "Got it." he shouts immediatly at Vlad and goes to recive the ball. If Vlad reacts as expected, by not going for Mishnehel ball, Zefir will play a decent recive to Vlad. This time Vlad shouldn't get hit by the ball unless he spaces out .

Morty

2021-09-06, 01:32 PM

Fayyaad's hand brushes against Rose's wrist when she pokes him, seemingly by accident.

[B]"Not quite. I'm a noble, from the land of Moran-Ir, of the Zafar family. I had to flee my homeland for being... too outspoken about the empire that holds it in thrall. I was no longer safe and going somewhere far away was deemed the best option."

Ironsmith

2021-09-06, 01:55 PM

Volleyball

"Uh, sure!" Mishnehel takes the ball and thwacks it back over the net, aiming it as close to the middle between Zefir and Vlad as she can.

Volleyball

Mishnehel seems to be quiet good at this game, even thought she never played it befor. Hard to imagone she just plays this for the first time.
Zefir is good enougth at prediction to forsee the trap. "Got it." he shouts immediatly at Vlad and goes to recive the ball. If Vlad reacts as expected, by not going for Mishnehel ball, Zefir will play a decent recive to Vlad. This time Vlad shouldn't get hit by the ball unless he spaces out .

[Volleyball]

Fortunately, Vlad does see it coming, and between the two of them, manage to set it up to spike it just past the net. If Mishnehel doesn't catch up to it, it'll be a point for sure.

Fayyaad's hand brushes against Rose's wrist when she pokes him, seemingly by accident.

[B]"Not quite. I'm a noble, from the land of Moran-Ir, of the Zafar family. I had to flee my homeland for being... too outspoken about the empire that holds it in thrall. I was no longer safe and going somewhere far away was deemed the best option."

[Bar]

"So... political refugee, then." Rose concludes. "That sucks. Why is it these hostile foreign powers can never just take over quietly? They've always got to come in and trash the place." She sighs. "Speaking from experience, of course. My world had a problem with invaders, too. I was part of an agency resisting their attempts at subterfuge. Honeypot division." She giggles and gestures to her barely-existent swimsuit. "Old habits die hard, you know?"

Morty

2021-09-06, 03:29 PM

Ironsmith

2021-09-07, 11:32 AM

Fayyaad studies the swimsuit, obviously simply to properly understand what she's referring to. No other reason.

[B]"Indeed? I fear I have no claim to subtlety or professionalism in my activities. I was simply publicly outspoken, leveraging my position to shield myself from the consequences. But eventually the protection ran dry. But you said your entire world was threatened by invaders?"

[Bar]

How risqué. One gets the impression Rose might somehow be less exposed if she had simply shown up in her birthday suit.

"Pretty much, yeah." Rose plinks a straw into her drink and takes an extended sip. "We had a chance to fight them off, though. Sort of. I won't bore you with the specifics of the politics in play, but both sides realized open fighting would be disastrous and tried to undermine each other's positions instead." She shrugs. "Pretty typical of political conflict of our era, really. No sense in using a weapon as a weapon, so pretty much everything else takes its place; technology, rumors, pretty girls, you get the idea."

Rebonack

2021-09-07, 11:45 AM

[Burger Theft]

"I'm Tristan. She's Jade," the young man says, escorting his girlfriend back over to the booth and paying for the replacement burger. "And she isn't usually... pink. What on earth did you get into, anyway? You weren't pink this afternoon."

That's definitely a mystery.

The last time Jade had gotten a color change it was because of a run in with some kind of chaos spirit.

And this time it was...?

Drunken... pinkness?

Goodness, who knows?

"And I guess two more burgers. One for myself and one for Jade," he adds to the gal at the counter. He knows that there is a pretty good chance that Jade might try to steal his food but at least then it won't be a stranger's.

[Fires]

And Khannie?

She scoops a HUGE bite out of her sundae with her spoon and shoves it in her mouth while maintaining eye contact with Arthfael the whole time.

To assert dominance.

bc56

2021-09-07, 11:59 AM

Burger Theft
"I dunno. I jush got pink all of a shudden. Jush felt all bubbly and shneezy inshide and then poof! Pink!" She gestures emphatically. "You think itsh cute, right?"
The normal human barmaid slides plates with the burgers over to them. "I served her a pina colada earlier, but she was, uh, normal fox color then. Uh, that was her only drink too, uh, that I gave her. Does she normally have a, uh, problem with holding her liquor?"

Earl of Purple

2021-09-07, 04:45 PM

Darker Beach

"...You're a much smarter cookie than I'd realised." Felicity should stay close to Eun. If nothing else, she could learn a lot. "I've... I've been here long enough I don't see it as weird any more. Dangerous, for sure, sometimes. But not really weird. I'm... not sure if that's a good thing or not." Felicity arrived in the Nexus as a child, and doesn't really remember too much of what her Earth was like. No superpowers, for sure, which is one reason why she wanted some.

Volley

Mishnehel wasn't expecting the ball to be passed; she somehow hadn't realised she could do that. So the fact it's passed to Vlad means her eyes leave it and the ball can go over the net before she's ready for it. Vlad and Zefir just scored a point.

Morty

2021-09-07, 05:21 PM

[B]"I don't know if I should envy you, exactly, but our oppressors do use weapons. Big ones." Fayyaad's tail swishes back and forth as he talks. "If I'd stayed I'd have ended up on the wrong side of them. I hope to return someday. For now, my stay in the Nexus has been enjoyable."

[Burger Theft]

Olvisin frowns, narrowing her eyes.

"I guess I haven't seen anyone else do that, so it can't be anything in the drinks."

Zefir

2021-09-07, 06:32 PM

Volleyball

Well that was something. Let's see what will be next. Zefir will take the ball to serve. He struggels a bit but then manages to play a decent ball. Those wirh more experience might notice that his struggle was more a holding back. Thought in the game he did appear to give his best. He seems to be trainwd in something that can be usefull for the serving.

Ironsmith

2021-09-07, 10:40 PM

And Khannie?

She scoops a HUGE bite out of her sundae with her spoon and shoves it in her mouth while maintaining eye contact with Arthfael the whole time.

To assert dominance.

Dominance asserted!

Arthfael meekly takes a nibble of his own sundae, also maintaining eye contact with Khannie. Though this was less of an "I'm in charge around here" sort of gesture and more "oh god if I look away she'll get the drop on me" kind of look.

At least the ice cream was good.

...Like, really good.

Arthfael takes another scoop.

And another.

And another.

And an-oh god what was happening to his brain?!

[B]Darker Beach

"...You're a much smarter cookie than I'd realised." Felicity should stay close to Eun. If nothing else, she could learn a lot. "I've... I've been here long enough I don't see it as weird any more. Dangerous, for sure, sometimes. But not really weird. I'm... not sure if that's a good thing or not." Felicity arrived in the Nexus as a child, and doesn't really remember too much of what her Earth was like. No superpowers, for sure, which is one reason why she wanted some.

[Darker Beach]

Eun goes from red to redder. "It's not that much, really..." She protests quietly, before the subject shifts to the general weirdness of the Nexus. "I can't say I know, either." She says finally. "Right now, I'm just trying to maintain a healthy respect for the fact that I have almost no understanding of how things work around here. Magic and technology so advanced it may as well be magic are both major game changers. You hardly see anything as simple as a chemical reaction anymore."

Volley

Mishnehel wasn't expecting the ball to be passed; she somehow hadn't realised she could do that. So the fact it's passed to Vlad means her eyes leave it and the ball can go over the net before she's ready for it. Vlad and Zefir just scored a point.

Volleyball

Well that was something. Let's see what will be next. Zefir will take the ball to serve. He struggels a bit but then manages to play a decent ball. Those wirh more experience might notice that his struggle was more a holding back. Thought in the game he did appear to give his best. He seems to be trainwd in something that can be usefull for the serving.

[Volleyball]

Extrapolating from the game so far, the remainder seems likely to be a fairly even match. Vlad and Miranda both provide solid bases for their teams, which makes it a question of who would give out first; Mishnehel or Zefir.

[B]"I don't know if I should envy you, exactly, but our oppressors do use weapons. Big ones." Fayyaad's tail swishes back and forth as he talks. [B]"If I'd stayed I'd have ended up on the wrong side of them. I hope to return someday. For now, my stay in the Nexus has been enjoyable."

[Bar]

"Same. You meet all sorts of interesting people out here." Rose gives him a flirtatious smile and clinks her glass against his. "Case in point. A noble-in-exile is something that really only exists in young adult novels where I'm from. I wouldn't have the chance to meet someone like you back home." She decides to take a risk and walks around behind him, her hand at her side, oh-so-innocently brushing up against his tail. "It's been something of a learning experience." She teases, giving him a playful smirk. She might be being a little forward, but the talk of "big weapons" seems to have conjured up certain images in her mind.

Earl of Purple

2021-09-08, 06:41 PM

Zefir

2021-09-09, 02:36 AM

Volleyball

Zefir is a quiet well trained man with a lot of stamina. He should last very long since he had to do simular stuff on a daily basis. His skills in the game are beginners and he will get better over time. Wich means he will win as Mishnehel falls first. It should be obviouse that he gave his best and didn't try to loose on purpose nor was he so good that it was easy.

"Puh. That was something. Good thing it's already dark. In the middle of the day I wouldn't have lasted that long." he says and gives a fistbumb to his partner befor he goes over to Mishnehel. "You okay?"

Morty

2021-09-09, 03:14 PM

When Rose's hand brushes against Fayyaad's tail, it briefly wraps itself around her fingers, before letting go.

[B]"I'm very glad to have provided some excitement and wonder. I seem to be good at it, according to some people I know."

Ironsmith

2021-09-09, 07:02 PM

Darker Beach

"There are some, actually. Just... not always in situations you'd expect." Fire is a chemical reaction, and it's one spread around by giant flying lizards. And Felicity can cover herself in it at a moment's notice with a match. "Hopefully it was science that was used to make your lab a spatial anomaly. If they used magic, things might be trickier to handle." If it is magical, then fixing it with science might not work.

[Darker Beach]

"Well, of course there are some." Eun concedes. "Just not nearly as much as there apparently is alchemy, or magic, or whatever other reality-breaking craziness may or may not be going on at any given time." She sighs, looking down at her watch. "...It's getting a little late." Eun sighs. "I'm going to call it a night. Should we meet at your lab tomorrow?"

Volleyball

Mishnehel's young and fit, with good coordination and stamina. She might fall down first, though, as she's not used to the game or quite this much jumping.

Volleyball

Zefir is a quiet well trained man with a lot of stamina. He should last very long since he had to do simular stuff on a daily basis. His skills in the game are beginners and he will get better over time. Wich means he will win as Mishnehel falls first. It should be obviouse that he gave his best and didn't try to loose on purpose nor was he so good that it was easy.

"Puh. That was something. Good thing it's already dark. In the middle of the day I wouldn't have lasted that long." he says and gives a fistbumb to his partner befor he goes over to Mishnehel. "You okay?"

[Volleyball]

Miranda and Vlad both go to their respective partners and congratulate them for a game well played; apparently, neither of them are so invested in winning that they have much of a specific reaction to it; they're just glad to have played.

When Rose's hand brushes against Fayyaad's tail, it briefly wraps itself around her fingers, before letting go.

[B]"I'm very glad to have provided some excitement and wonder. I seem to be good at it, according to some people I know."

[Bar]

Rose smirks. "You don't say?" She giggles, leaning back against the bar.

Then, as she sits there and thinks a moment, her face lights up. "So... question for you, Fay... you wouldn't happen to know any dances that use a partner, by any chance?" She gives him a coy little smile. "It's been ages since I've performed for a crowd. Well, I guess that's only half true. It's been ages since I've performed primarily for a crowd, without some other objective in the back of my head. It's nice to go up and just dance. As you're aware, I'm sure."

Morty

2021-09-10, 03:50 PM

Ironsmith

2021-09-11, 08:28 AM

Fayyaad's smile goes a little wider. This is getting better and better.

[B]"I certainly do know some dances for a pair. Sadly, I've had few opportunities to use them. But it sounds like that might change this evening."

[Bar]

"Lucky for you, I'm a quick study." Rose beams, offering her hand. "Show me what you have in mind."

She's not lying; over the course of her career, Rose has developed an impressive amount of stamina and flexibility, and she does seem to have some experience as a dancer (ballet mostly, apparently). Whatever Fayyaad tries to teach her, she'll pick up exactly as quickly as promised, provided she can resist the temptation to add her own little flairs. That, and that her swimsuit doesn't get pulled loose from all the stretching and pivoting.

Morty

2021-09-11, 04:57 PM

Ironsmith

2021-09-11, 05:28 PM

[Bar ==> Bonfires]

Fayyaad leads Rose back to the bonfires, where he'll start showing her a paired dance. It consists of symmetrical circular movements, where the dancers spin in parallel to each other, before closing in again, taking each other's hand and dancing together for a time. It does put them in fairly close proximity to each other briefly, as Rose will no doubt notice. Fayyaad is a surprisingly good instructor, given his lack of teaching experience.

[Bonfires]

It probably helps that Rose is eager to learn; a good performance here would attract all the right sorts of attention, she thinks. Particularly so from Fayyaad. So she goes through the dance with all the requisite vigor and then some, such that she's visibly sweating and slightly winded by the end; trying hard, but nowhere near her limit.

When they're finished, she decides there's been enough flirtation and goes to make her move. "Well, that was fun!" She giggles, before leaning in and whispering, "Now, if we were to go back to my place, I could teach you a thing or two..."

Invitations don't come much more transparent than that.

Earl of Purple

2021-09-12, 05:56 PM

Morty

2021-09-12, 06:10 PM

[B]"Really?" The invitation isn't lost on Fayyaad even for a moment. Nor is he hesitant about taking it. "I consider myself knowledgeable about more things than just dancing. But a man never stops learning, I've heard. Could be I can see something new..."

Ironsmith

2021-09-12, 07:27 PM

Darker Beach

"OK, Eun. Sure, I'll see you there. Uh, can you get back to the base OK? You were with that guy earlier, and I don't know how you got here. I'm borrowing a shuttle, though." She parked it up the beach, one of the little flying vessels used to get Vigil members to and from the base.

[Darker Beach]

"I should be fine. We have a shuttle of our... own..." Eun trails off as she watches said shuttle lift off the beach and fly off over the horizon.

She blinks in surprise and promptly amends her response. "If you have room for me, I'd appreciate a ride back."

Volleyball

Mishnehel grins as well, and congratulates Zefir on his win. She'll be up for fistbumps or hugs as celebration, whichever Miranda prefers. "Yeah, that was fun. How'd I do?"

[Volleyball]

"You did a wonderful job, especially considering you're a beginner." Miranda gladly accepts the hugs and gives Mishnehel a little pat on the back for good measure. "I'd say you're a natural, even. This might be your first time with volleyball, but you've played something like this before, haven't you?"

[B]"Really?" The invitation isn't lost on Fayyaad even for a moment. Nor is he hesitant about taking it. "I consider myself knowledgeable about more things than just dancing. But a man never stops learning, I've heard. Could be I can see something new..."

[Bonfires => ARC Shuttle]

Rose smirks and leads Fayyaad back to the shuttle she and her old coworkers arrived in, quickly keying in the appropriate passcode to let them in. "Make yourself at home. It's a bit of a flight home. I'll just go... slip into something more comfortable."

True enough, when they get inside, she does indeed slip right around the corner, and Fayyaad will be able to hear the telltale hum of her Hotbox going to work.

"So... I'm going to admit, I wasn't entirely honest with you." Rose calls back. "I'm still down for the usual behind-closed-doors routine if you want. But I also want to put forward another option... we can say we did and get to know each other a little better instead." She comes back around the corner, swimsuit abandoned in favor of a well-pressed green jumpsuit, which she has folded over her arms and is holding in front of her chest. "You know, like, actually get to know each other. Something a little more personal than..." She smirks and bobs her head side to side. "You know. And maybe we could still do that afterwards if there's time. In my experience, it's a lot more enjoyable like that anyway. Up to you."

Zefir

2021-09-13, 02:01 AM

[Volleyball]

Zefir heads over to them assuming Vlad follows as well.

"Yeah, I also had the feeling you know what to do. So Either you had done something befor OR you pick up really fast." he says and then turns to the other two.
"And you two are professionals? Sounded like you are in a team and you seem to be good at the game."

Rebonack

2021-09-13, 10:58 AM

[Hamburgler]

"Sure, definitely," Tristan replies as he scoots Jade's sandwich toward her. Granted, he's quite a bit less concerned about the cuteness versus the fact that she appears to have gotten magiced up somehow. She isn't normally pink or this... drunk. Drinking one pina colada definitely shouldn't have done this to her. "Let's get some food in you, hopefully that'll settle you down a bit."

Maybe.

Hopefully.

"So Olivsin was it? Having a nice time at the party aside from the absurd chase scenes?"

Come on Tristan.

Absurd chase scenes are the best part of these parties.

You're just sore about being here instead of investigating a giant crab.

bc56

2021-09-13, 11:29 AM

Hamburgler
The burger quickly disappears into Jade's gullet. Surreptitiously, she reaches for Tristan's burger so it can suffer the same fate. As she does it, she's already drunkenly ordering another burger from the barmaid. "That wash a really good pina colada earlier. Are you shure you didn do anything shpeshal?" she slurs. "Uh, no, I just used the normal recipe." "Are you shure? It tashted different." The barmaid looks a little irritated that her skills are being called into question. But she is new at this. Maybe she did make a mistake.

Earl of Purple

2021-09-13, 05:14 PM

Morty

2021-09-13, 06:19 PM

[Hamburgler]

"I don't really know. This is the first beach party I've been to," Olvisin admits. "I grew up by the sea but there were more sheer cliffs than beaches." She looks between Selekhael and Jade. "I haven't seen anyone else run around and steal people's burgers, so if it was the drink, it was just the one."

Fayyaad hasn't changed out of his dancing outfit yet, but presumably he's had an opportunity to pick up his bag.

[B]"I'm not really the one to... rush into getting down to business. I'm fine with taking things more slowly, but I do need to change first."

Ironsmith

2021-09-13, 08:48 PM

Darker Beach

"Yeah, I've got some room. I borrowed it from Vigil, one of their sky-ferries. I learnt how to fly things like it in Skyside, though that one was... a bit more mundane, I think. Controls map over OK, mostly." Felicity stands up and picks up her fire-blanket, putting it back into her bag and pulling out a brass fob. She'll walk over to where she parked, just up the beach hidden in the dunes.

The shuttle doesn't look very technological at all, really. It has a sleek wooden hull with brass detailing and little wings, sharply angled sails overhead. A harpoon gun is mounted on the front. It's all wood and polished brass, rather than plastic and aluminium. Felicity goes to a hatch in the deck and unlocks it, pulling out a thick fleece and some trousers, which she'll pull on. "Do you want this?" Felicity offers a spare fleece. "It can get a bit cold, otherwise. I gotta stay on deck to steer, since it's done by sails, but there's a small passenger area, if you want to sit down out of the wind. No windows, though."

[Darker Beach]

Eun eyes the shuttle warily. That... is a lot of open air for a flying vehicle. And no indication of any of the quantum membranes that helped ensure stable flight. And the air was going to been thin up there. And... Felicity sounded reasonably confident in her ability to fly it, but not entirely so. What if something went wrong? Could Felicity handle it?

Eun sighs quietly to herself and puts on the fleece. No, no. She was being ridiculous. That was just nerves talking. She was going to get on this shuttle, they'd fly back to Vigil, and absolutely nothing would go wrong.

Volleyball

"Sort of, yeah. Streetball, played in Skyside. Often the ball is filled with some lighter-than-air gas, if you can get it from the docks or whatever. The aim of that is to hit the ball from one side of the street to the other, usually played in busy areas and across traffic to make it trickier. And also so the players can practice their pickpocketing. I didn't grow up in a very wealthy area, though at least it was Skyside itself and not Groundtown. Nobody wants to live in Groundtown." It's odd that so many people stay there, in fact. Given that it's poor and where most of those individuals that work in Skyside that can't afford rent in the flying city live.

[Volleyball]

Zefir heads over to them assuming Vlad follows as well.

"Yeah, I also had the feeling you know what to do. So Either you had done something befor OR you pick up really fast." he says and then turns to the other two.
"And you two are professionals? Sounded like you are in a team and you seem to be good at the game."

[Volleyball]

"Not exactly." Vlad shrugs. "We've played before, and our jobs involve a lot of running around. The two mesh more-or-less seamlessly."

Miranda releases Mishnehel and gives the girl one last pat on the back. "So, this Groundtown... bad place to live, then?" Understatement of the year, she was sure.

Fayyaad hasn't changed out of his dancing outfit yet, but presumably he's had an opportunity to pick up his bag.

[B]"I'm not really the one to... rush into getting down to business. I'm fine with taking things more slowly, but I do need to change first."

[ARC Shuttle]

Rose smiles, unfolds the jumpsuit, and quickly slips it on; left leg, right leg, left arm, right arm, zip. Ten seconds total. She then turns and gives Fayyaad a polite amount of privacy; she might not come from a culture with much of a nudity taboo, but she had no guarantee that he did, too. Even if it might not matter in a few hours. Context is everything in these sorts of situations.

While she's waiting, she'll go ahead and set the autopilot, taking them up and away from the beach. The flight is smooth enough that Fayyaad might not even notice they've taken off if he doesn't look out the windows.

"So, then..." Rose runs a hand through her hair, shaking out a little sand. "What sorts of things do you like to do for fun? Aside from the obvious, I mean."

Zefir

2021-09-14, 06:44 AM

[Volleyball]

"Hmm, yeah sounds resonable. Seems like I would need more practice to keep up." Zefir says. "You got some kind of delivery job? Or something with a little more action?

"That sounds rather dangerouse." he says to Mishnehel. "But I guess that's skyside"

Earl of Purple

2021-09-14, 12:47 PM

Ironsmith

2021-09-14, 08:48 PM

Leaving the Darker Beach

"Make sure you strap into the harness and secure yourself. I really don't want you to fall off." And please, whatever you do, don't ask Felicity how many flight hours she has or what she actually trained in flying. Because Earl doesn't think Eun will like the answer to either of those questions.

Once she's sure Eun is secure, the skyferry raises gently upwards and starts to gain speed as it flies off. It's not too jerky, and Felicity doesn't speed- it might be able to go faster than Felicity's driving it, but she's making sure she's going no faster than she's comfortable with, given the dark. Occasionally Felicity steers the wrong way, getting left and right muddled, but as she's high enough to avoid most obstacles, she's able to correct herself before she hits anything.

[Leaving Beach]

Eun does indeed strap herself in, trying not to look too disconcerted about Felicity's flying ability. Unless something else happens, she'll remain silent for the rest of the trip back to Vigil... mostly because she doesn't have confidence in her ability to speak while so astoundingly airsick.

Volleyball

"Groundtown's a slum. It's beneath Skyside, so all the trash and refuse the flying city doesn't want or can't recycle are thrown down to it. The best areas are far enough away the city's shadow rarely falls upon them, near the launchpads and runways for vessels going up and down. The worst areas are permanently in the dark, night or day, as Skyside itself blocks the sun, and they need reinforced roofs to protect their homes from falling debris. Or so I hear. My mother lived in Skyside proper, in a block of flats, near the edge but without a good view." So quite cheap, as a result.

[Volleyball]

"Hmm, yeah sounds resonable. Seems like I would need more practice to keep up." Zefir says. "You got some kind of delivery job? Or something with a little more action?

"That sounds rather dangerouse." he says to Mishnehel. "But I guess that's skyside"

[Volleyball]

"You could say that. We've done a lot of delivery in our time." Vlad chuckles. "But yeah, we get a fair amount of action. Used to, at any rate. Now she babysits and I fix planes."

"It's like we never left." Miranda smirks, earning another chuckle from Vlad. She turns her attention back to Mishnehel. "That... does sound pretty hazardous. I hope none of you were sleepwalkers."