Seaside 5: Kinda like One Piece without the anime

[Recaiden]

"Jade, huh." Let's see, how to introduce herself. "You know, I used to be a, hmm, super-villain, is that the word?"
"Now, you can call me 'Skye'."

[bc56]

Beach Party

Jade looks surprised. "Why? What are you now?" She doesn't seem too angered by it though. It's just like the Nexus' sense of serendipity to let a superhero and supervillain idly sunbathe next to each other without realizing it, and besides, she has no evidence with which to attempt an arrest, and no equipment to make such an arrest possible.

[Recaiden]

"Sometimes you just need to destroy all intelligent life, you understand, don't you?"
Skye says, although that's probably not a familiar feeling to most people.
"Now, I'm mostly a researcher."

[Deathkeeper]

[Beach Party]

Nick Richards is here! This makes sense, since the whole thing was his idea. But he’s hoping no one recognizes him in this capacity. He isn’t wearing his trademark uniform. He’s waiting patiently for his wife Geneva. Who of course doesn’t need a ticket to get in but will probably buy one anyway because she’s nice like that.
His little brother Nick, tiny dragon extraordinaire, is also here! Though really you’d never guess they’re related, being a griffin and an orange dragon.

[Rebonack]

[Beach Party]

Geneva did in fact buy a ticket anyway. She bought one for every family member attending.

Why?

Because they have the money and it is for a good cause.

That's plenty reason enough.

The hippogriff is NOT wearing her trademark jumpsuit today. In fact, she's just wearing a sun-hat with little slots in it for her horse-ears to stick through. Helps the hat stay on better, after all.

She alights in the sand, wriggling her talons a bit, then trots over to her husband and gives him an affectionate headbutt.

"We really need to make more time to get out as a family," she says. "It's such a beautiful day. A perfect day for the beach."

Couldn't be better!

And just look at all these people! Knowing that so many have come here to help the unfortunate of the Nexus warms her heart.

[Deathkeeper]

[Beach Party]

Nick returns the gesture, as always.
”I think soon we’re going to have reason for a little leave for a while. But yes.”
Nick Jr still has his goggles. He doesn’t like opening his eyes underwater.
”Genevaaa, can I go with the other kids if they’re here?” He expects that those other dragons might end up being here. Or maybe Khannie. He has lots of friends!

[bc56]

Beach Party - Sunbathing Ladies

"No, I can't say I do." Jade became a hero to stop things like that. "Oh? What do you study?" She's gradually getting more comfortable in her bikini as she relaxes. Really, showing so much skin isn't that bad, once you get used to it.

Beach Party - Elsewhere

Sekhmet smiles and waves at Geneva when she sees her. She's still waiting for Prumathe, but if Geneva wants to speak to her, she's there. She looks even more demonic than before, with a flaming orb floating between her horns and lines of metal underneath her skin. And she's also taller and longer haired.

[Earl of Purple]

Marlick Bay

"You are some kind of faerie. You're practically made of magic- there's little substance to you. Not sure why they thought sacrificing you would do anything; unless they trap and use the energy emitted by your death- and there are ways, I know several- it would simply dissipate and reform elsewhere. Unless the mere act of the attempting it attracted attention from something else. Nothing on the altar was magical, so I'd guess that would explain your nonchalance. I'd ask if you can lie, some faeries can't, but whether you can or not doesn't matter. You'd say no, of course you can't lie and I still won't be able to trust a word out of that mouth." The explanation, whilst addressed to the elf, is intended more for Anchor's benefit.

"There are items of power in this place, faerie. Do you know where they are?" The relics are Benedict's largest focus right now, and if this elf has a rough idea of where to find one Benedict wants that information.

Beach Party

Three people arrive, separately not together.

First is a dark-skinned young man, about nineteen, with curly dark hair and green eyes. He's muscular and well-built, practical muscle too- a mason, not a blacksmith. He's wearing red swimming trunks, a blue Hawaiian shirt with palm trees on it, and a pair of sandals.

Second is a young girl, sixteen years old, with shoulder-length black hair, green eyes and tanned skin. She's wearing a green one-piece swimming costume, rather modest, and a thin yellow skirt, almost translucent. She arrives in a surprising way- a robin flies in, lands on the ground, and transforms, losing the feathers and growing into the human shape described first, opening a hand and conjuring a red rucksack, battered but repaired, which appears in her hand in a cloud of card symbols.

Finally, a tall young woman, between about eighteen and twenty-two, walking down the beach. She has short black hair, grey eyes and an androgynous frame; in normal clothes, it might be tricky figuring her out. She's wearing a red one-piece swimming costume, nearly a bikini but for a strip of material down the front linking the two pieces of fabric together. A pair of black-feathered wings with grey eyes emerge from her back, and occasionally she spreads a wing and the eye moves to get a closer look at something. She carries a leather satchel with a stylised bird branded into the flap over the pouches, and in her four-fingered left hand swing a pair of hefty walking-boots.

[bc56]

Beach Party - A Fiend and her Boyfriend

Sekhmet sees Prumathe and runs to him. "Prumathe! It's good to see you!" Maybe he notices her new necklace, which she's wearing despite the setting. The tip of her tail drags in the sand a little as she runs. She doesn't seem to mind that. She moves in to hug him, doing some sort of unusual movement with her tail around her legs at the same time.

[Purple Eagle]

Beach Party

Three people arrive, separately not together.

...

Second is a young girl, sixteen years old, with shoulder-length black hair, green eyes and tanned skin. She's wearing a green one-piece swimming costume, rather modest, and a thin yellow skirt, almost translucent. She arrives in a surprising way- a robin flies in, lands on the ground, and transforms, losing the feathers and growing into the human shape described first, opening a hand and conjuring a red rucksack, battered but repaired, which appears in her hand in a cloud of card symbols.

Beach Party - Natalie and Karasu

Joining her is another young girl of the same age, with dark skin, amber eyes on black sclera and short black hair in plaits. Those plaits are currently under a black shower-cap with purple flower designs on it. She's also wearing a purple one-piece swimming suit and black flip-flop slippers. There's waterproof high-tech beads on her left wrist, including Storage Beads, a recent upgrade from Storage Discs.

She flies in on a black inky platform, following the robin. She lands after Natalie transforms, liquefying the solid ink and absorbing it, the substance turning into energy that flows back into her body through her arms. "Mmm, I smell sausages, Talie. Let's get some food so we can sunbathe." Karasu says, taking her girlfriend's arm in hers.

Finally, a tall young woman, between about eighteen and twenty-two, walking down the beach. She has short black hair, grey eyes and an androgynous frame; in normal clothes, it might be tricky figuring her out. She's wearing a red one-piece swimming costume, nearly a bikini but for a strip of material down the front linking the two pieces of fabric together. A pair of black-feathered wings with grey eyes emerge from her back, and occasionally she spreads a wing and the eye moves to get a closer look at something. She carries a leather satchel with a stylised bird branded into the flap over the pouches, and in her four-fingered left hand swing a pair of hefty walking-boots.

Beach Party - Jack and Chidi

A tall, dark-skinned and muscular man of about 30 walks along the beach with a mug of magically-chilled beer in his right hand. He has light hot pink sclera and dark pink eyes, with low-cut black hair and a moustache. At the moment he's only wearing a pair of navy blue swimming trunks and aviator shades, along with the OmniBeads around his left wrist. He's barefeet, enjoying the feel of the beach sand against the soles of his feet.

Now, Chidi isn't a vain guy, but he does enjoy showing off his muscles to the world. His path will bring him to Jack, and he slows down to admire her wings and the eyes in them once he gets close enough.

[5a Violista]

[Marlick Bay]

Zophiel nods and lets his hand be guided.

Ah. There it is. To be honest, he was worried there'd be a lot more, especially considering the amount of blood. Deep cuts like that are bad if left untreated, but they're also generally easily healed.
Really shouldn't have left her alone. He mentally berates himself.

Zophiel kneels by Sekhmet. His eyes go black for a moment, and the blackness that is covering his veins seem to drain towards his hand, until only his fingertips are black. Five black strings pull out of each of the fingers, and - so long as Sekhmet doesn't have some random weird immunity - they'll start to sew together the wounds like sutures.

And then, once they're all sewn up, Zophiel will pull away and release the strings, leaving them in the wounds. Starting then, and over the next several minutes, they'll slowly release healing magic directed at the wounds to heal them up. Once they're out of healing magic, they'll dissolve away.

"Okay," Zophiel says, mostly to himself.
It's entirely possible that explosion was in the fight up here. There's certainly enough destruction for that to happen.

Now that that's taken care of, Zophiel gets up and decides to see what the current state of the place is. He'll look outside the church, to see the village, the ocean...there's way too much going on, and he has the feeling it's not quite over yet.


[Beach Party]

Someone who hasn't showed her face around the Nexus recently has decided to show up.
Honestly, she had been expecting the Nexus to be destroyed already, but it isn't.
So.
She didn't buy any tickets.
Like, what's even the point of providing relief to survivors? They won't be surviving long enough for it to really help them. If you really want to help them, just evacuate them back to their homeworlds.

So, she's crashing the party without a ticket.

Nemo would probably appear to be a normal redheaded woman, if not for her LARGE demonic wings on her back.
They're big enough that they always get in the way.
But somehow, in spite of that, they're incapable of flight.

She's wearing a one-piece swimsuit underneath a low-back white t-shirt (with the back torn away). A hat, too, to keep her face from getting sunburnt.

She sits awkwardly on the beach, with one hand on the ground because she can't sit upright due to her wings. In fact, it'd be more accurate to say the way she's sitting is halfway between sitting and lying down.

The sun is nice, though.
And the beach is pretty.

[Recaiden]

[Marlick Bay]

"This imagery suggests that there's another layer, even deeper down than this hidden temple."

Anchor pokes at the creepy altar with the memory spear, and then goes to flip through the unholy book.
That might be a great source of information on the cult. Or it might be nonsensical ravings.

[Beach Party]

"Must be nice." Imagine, never needing to destroy the whole order of the world.

"I work with biology and surgery." she says with a grin.

[bc56]

Beach Party - Sunbathing Ladies

Jade nods, causing her hair to swish around her head. "That's a pretty broad field. Anything in particular?" She's curious now. She's also finally managed to get comfortable enough that her body isn't currently distracting her, but that will probably only last until she moves.

[Earl of Purple]

Beach Party
Fiend & Boyfriend

Prumathe does notice it, but for now he's hugging back. He likes the feel of the tail wrapped around his leg; really hugged. "It's good to see you, too. Especially in such better circumstances than our last meeting." That was pretty hectic, all told. Though there might have been a date off-screen between the two. "How are you? Everything good at GLoG still?"

Robin & Ninja

Natalie links arms with her girlfriend and goes with to the chef's tent. "You can sunbathe all you want, Karasu. I don't have the patience for that, I'll go swimming. Ooh, those sausages do smell good."

Jack & Chidi

Another thing I forgot- Jack currently is missing her shadow. It left a while back, after Jack spent the night with someone.

As she notes him slow down to check her out, Jack grins and will fall into step beside him. "Hey there. I'm Jack. Pleased to meet you."

[Morty]

[Beach Party]

This being an Intersection party, it's not surprising that members of the force will be here. Michalson barring is not a beach-going kind of person, but with a t-shirt and enough sunscreen, he's doing alright. He's also wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses. It's not his fault he was born in a slum where the polluted air would make the sun difficult to see even if Sigil had one to start with. He's wandering around, sipping a drink through a straw and eating a hot-dog.

[bc56]

Beach Party - Fiend and Boyfriend

At the mention of their last meeting, Sekhmet shudders. "Uh, don't remind me. I'm still worried she'll pop out of nowhere at me." She likes hugging Prumathe with her tail as much as he likes it. She releases him a few moments later. "GLoG is still all right. I get a few more, uh, looks than I used to, but that's, uh, okay." A small price for not dying.

[Purple Eagle]

[Beach Party]

Robin & Ninja

"Not even if this hot body is lying right beside you?" Karasu asks with a smile, gesturing to her body. "Swimming does sound nice, however. I'll join you. We can dry out in the sun later." She gets a plate and selects some sausages and cheese, willing to share plates with Natalie if she wants. "So I'll be staying in the Nexus again! The person I've been staying with for a while in my world, an uncle, saw it coming and prepared for the eventuality that I'd decide to be here for good. If you know where to look and have a telescope, you can see Raptor Island from here." She's joyful at the news. "Still arrangements to be made, but it's pretty much a done deal."

Jack & Chidi

Chidi does notice the lack of a shadow, which just adds a layer of things to be curious about, besides her wing-eyes. Of course, after noting those things, he gives her beach body a once-over, liking what he sees. "Hello, Jack. The pleasure is all mine, I'm Chidi. I'm new here."

"So, Jack as in Jacqueline, or...?" He asks with a friendly smile.

[Earl of Purple]

Beach Party
Prumathe & Girlfiend

"They're good people, Sekhmet. I'm glad you found them... And me." Prumathe smiles and takes her hand. "So what're your plans for the beach time? Get a barbecued meal, go swimming or just do some sunbathing? Uh, can you swim? The sea won't put you out will it?" He glances at the ball of flame floating between Sekhmet's horns as he speaks, to make it clear what he means.

Robin & Ninja

"If I'm lying around for that long, I'm either going to start fidgeting or fall asleep. Doesn't matter what the body next to me looks like." Natalie keeps strolling along, and when Karasu says Raptor Island can be seen from where they stand, she holds her hand out and there's a brief swirl of card suits all in red light as a telescope drops from nowhere into her hand. She extends it and holds it to her face, scanning the horizon. "Where? Which one's Raptor Island?"

Jack & Chidi

"Jacqueline, but I prefer Jack. Is Chidi short for anything? I've not met a Chidi before." Jack grins as she notices Chidi checking her out, and returns the favour.

[bc56]

Prumathe and Girlfiend

Sekhmet shakes her head as she takes Prumathe's hand.""No. Otherwise, I couldn't bathe." Her fire is unusual. It doesn't require fuel or oxygen, it just burns on its own. "Let's, uh, get food first, then maybe go swimming."

[Purple Eagle]

[Beach Party]

Robin & Ninja

Karasu points in the direction, and when she looks, she sees a forested island in the distance. It's vaguely in the shape of an eagle on the map, not that she can see it from here.

"That's it, in that direction. Alright, we'll go swimming, then. Food first, though." She says, still trying to lead her girl to the chef's tent after she's had her fill of looking at it. "We'll go later, if you want. Another day, not today."

Again, as described last post, she gets a plate and selects some sausages and cheese, enough for both of them, aiming that they share a plate, which she'll support on a floating tray of solidified ink, along with their beverage mugs. Karasu chooses iced tea. "For you, milady." She bows exaggeratedly after making the tray, then chuckles.

Jack and Chidi

"Chidiebere." He replies. That she's checking him out as well signals to him that he can hit on her, so he does, starting by complimenting her. "Nice wings, I find them... exotic." He likes exotic. "You wear that bikini well, too, suits your body. Are you be a bird-person?"

[WarKitty]

Beach Party - Suddenly, Robot Kittens!

Suddenly, somehow, a set of robot kittens begins to fan out across the beach and approach various partygoers. Each one is covered in a translucent layer of some sort of polymer, that renders them proof against sand and water. Upon approaching a group, they will pop up a menu of items to order - food, drink, swimwear, sun potions, beach towels, etc. - and mew once.

[Lord Magtok]

Moonwell Convergence

Moonwell Convergence

As the bear slowly starts to get on its feet the other two, or at least Laz, might realize what it literally just stumbled upon. It appears to be a hatch that melts so well into the hull of the ship it's impossible to spot from most angles. The fact it's pit-fiend sized would make you think it'd be easier to notice. But the way it bends and curves it's like an optical illusion just hidden there in plain sight.

It even have those creepy eye-carvings covering the rest of the ship.

[Moonwell Convergence]

"I-I know a spell that could teleport us in, as long as I go along," she says. "It'll take a moment," and they'd have to both be right next to each other.

In preparation for the spell, the fangs in her hair's snakes ignite and a gas with the the smell of brimstone starts to leak out of their mouths.

Maybe, before the spell goes off and potentially gets wasted - since maybe they could use the spell to escape instead of to enter - Laz or the bear should inform the witch that they just potentially found a way in.

"Nevermind, just found another option. Save the spell for if we need an emergency exit," Laz remarks, as she dives towards the newly-revealed entry hatch. It shouldn't be too hard for her inhuman strength to rip it open and then leap into the abyss, right? Honestly, her biggest concern right now is nobody's remarked on her newly-revealed green skin and hideous undead face. Are they reserving judgment for after the demons are dealt with? Waiting to say something about her missing helmet when the entire Nexus isn't in horrifying peril? 'Laz, now that the demons are gone, we need to stage an intervention and ask why you never told your teammates you were a flesh-eating monster' or something like that? Past experience suggests she's only going to get more ghastly-looking as this fight goes on, so maybe it's better that they don't seem to think it's such a big deal right now.

[Recaiden]

Jade nods, causing her hair to swish around her head. "That's a pretty broad field. Anything in particular?" She's curious now. She's also finally managed to get comfortable enough that her body isn't currently distracting her, but that will probably only last until she moves.

Skye smiles. Someone who's curious and not uncomfortable with themselves is actually...nice to be around?
"You know much about it [that field]? I particularly work with chimeras and hybrids."

[bc56]

Beach Party - Sunbathing Ladies

Jade shakes her head. "No, I'm an electrical engineer by profession." Although she does dabble in many disciplines as part of her heroism, biology is not one of them. "You know, two weeks ago, I would never expected to find myself here, doing this." Lying on the beach in a bikini, trying to embrace her femininity, and talking to an self-proclaimed supervillain. Things have really changed.

[Rebonack]

[Marlick Bay]

There are, in fact, several things on fire up in the chapel. That's usually a pretty sure-fire bit of corroborating evidence that an explosion happened recently. There's also that really large dead horseshoe crab monster over there. Its shell has turned bright red like a boiled lobster.

It doesn't smell nice, though.

It smells really awful.

Like... Seriously awful.

It's kind of gag-worthy.

The ocean doesn't seem terribly interesting at the moment. Several awful pelagic nightmares are heading back into the sea. Judging from the number of footprints down in the sand a decent number of people were ensnared by the song and drowned themselves. This time with an escort of fish monsters to make sure that no one shook them loose. Zoph will be able to see signs of combat in the streets, including a pair of the Goldleaf Consortium guards laying dead around something that looks like a cross between a sponge, a starfish, and a very angry barnacle. The horror is, likewise, dead. Two more guards are standing nearby, injured but alive.

Meanwhile!

The elf looks no less bored.

"Ugh. You're boring," it moans.

See?

Very bored.

"Why should I tell you anything? What's in it for me? Why should I care whether you think I'm a liar or not?" the elf huffs before crossing its arms and looking quite petulant.

The 'holy' book turns out to be a volume of tax code that someone has scribbled in incoherently, including the name of the Saint here and there and crudely devised pictures of sea life. Apparently the priest just needed a large book to appear impressive and was just making stuff up?


[Beach Party!]

Geneva waves back at Sekhmet, doing her best not to appear shocked at her altered appearance. Sekhmet had confided in her how much the demonic appearance troubled her. To see it even more pronounced? Geneva can only imagine how she feels. She won't approach, though. Sekhmet appears to be with someone else. Maybe even a special someone of her own? Geneva will wait to be invited over. For now? She pulls several beach towels and a shade umbrella out from her inventory and begins setting them up.

"Feel free to go play, Nick. I think I see someone over in the water," Geneva replies.

Sure enough!

It looks like someone is lurking around in the shallows nearby...

Who could it be?

[bc56]

Marlick Bay

Sekhmet heads down the stairs. She distinctly feels the last relic call to her, and she must find it. She probably looks a bit dazed as she follows her senses to where it must be. She's definitely not thinking clearly.

[Earl of Purple]

Beach Party
Prumathe & Girlfiend

"Ah, yes. Food. What kind of food do you want? A burger, kebab, or something?" Beach food is typically barbeque, but there might be fish and chips on offer- this is the seaside, after all. He'll squeeze her hand and head over to the food tent.

Karalie

Natalie grins at the exaggerated bow and milady. Natalie went for lemonade. "Thank you, serf. I'd dismiss you, now. But then you'd have to leave and not come back until I called, so I think it better you stick with me in case I need anything more." She grabs a bit of sausage and blows on it before popping it into her mouth. "Ooh, this is nice. You should try some; the sausage is great." Natalie goes closer to the sea to sit down and eat.

Jack & Chidi

"Yes, I am, but the wings aren't original. They... attached themselves to my back on an adventure I went on." One that also netted Jack enough money she's still basically living off it. "How about you? You look pretty human- but so do I, without the wings, and that doesn't stop me being not human. And your eyes aren't quite right, either. Pink suits you." Jack meets his pink eyes with her grey ones, the human ones in her head not the others in her wings.

Technically not a bikini; Jack's swimsuit has a rather flimsy bit of fabric running from the top of the bottoms, up her belly and connecting to the bottom of the bra.

[bc56]

Prumathe and Girlfiend

"Anything's, uh, good." Sekhmet replies. She squeezes back, just happy to be able to spend some time with Prumathe.

[Purple Eagle]

Beach Party

Karalie

Karasu pecks Natalie in response. "I'm not going anywhere." She whispers into Natalie's ear, then sips on her iced tea. "Mmm... this is good. This is really good." When the sausage is recommended, she grabs a bit herself, blows on it and noms on it. "Juicy! This food is awesome."

She'll follow alongside Natalie, ink tray in front of them, finding a beach to sit down and eat at, tray between them. ""

Jack & Chidi

"Ah, you're an adventurer! You must see a lot of interesting stuff in the Nexus. I'm a MERC soldier, myself." The first thing he did upon arrival here... after meeting Marin in Trog's, that is. "This is my world's version of humans... or 'numans' if you prefer. Varied colour of eyes and sclera, supernatural powers, etc."

Whatever her swimsuit is, Chidi seems to like it. "Does that mean you're originally from the Nexus? It seems most people I've met aren't."

[Earl of Purple]

Beach Party
Prumathe & Girlfiend

"I think I fancy a burger." And off they go. Hopefully something will happen, as currently I'm struggling here.

Natasu

Natalie smiles at the whisper in her ear, and sips her own lemonade. "Yeah, the sausage is done perfectly. How's the cheese?" And is it halloumi? That's a good cheese for a barbeque- you can grill it like the others. Natalie's going to lean in to Karasu as she eats, wiggling her bum to get herself comfortable and anchored enough she won't slip as she leans over.

Jack & Chidi

"I've been on a couple adventures, sure. Mostly I'm a tour guide, really." She nods at Chidi's explanation of numans, and tilts her head. "So what's youre supernatural ability, then? And yeah, I'm a native. I come from a small village in Outside called the Clattering, but I'm a tour guide in Inside. There's lots of spots groundpounders never find and don't know about; wings are really useful there."