Seaside 3: A load of carp

[Shadowcaller]

[The Crystal Apex]

"Then how will you learn how they work? Hmph, regardless, you are right in the need for haste..." The demon starts moving towards the circular staircase which does appear to have been made for a creature of the demons size, making it seem cyclopean in design to the smaller Damon.
To Jaccalish credit, once they do hurry they move fast. Climbing the steps in such haste that Damon might need to hurry if he wants to keep up. Walking the staircase is not the simplest thing in the world however as its as mentioned shifting along with temple, which makes it bend in every direction like a giant accordion.

Finally, there is such a violent shift that the entire stair case bends over, causing Jaccalish to be slammed into the railing of the staircase. Damon might also fall over if he's on the move.

[Beach Party - Bar wit' Tina]

"Mhmm... that's true, but do you know that they grow too?" It is notable that all of her snakes aren't exactly the same size. Some of them appear thicker and longer than the others. "Which also means they shed skin, imagine waking up to having that in your bed." Dena shudders. "Also, I think they fall off once they get big enough and get replaced. There was one snake my room the other day..." She shakes her head. "But I'm always making myself sound weirder by the minute, so its only fair I give you the same chance. You've been gone a while, must be quite a thing being back. Ought to be difficult too, seeing yourself being diminished."

Then their drinks are served, two whiskey glasses filled with the amber light liquid along with a thin slice of lemon placed on the edge.

Dena immediately takes a small sip before she continues. "You know what we should do? Some kind of public event sponsored by MERC that puts you back in everyone's heart. That's the one thing our boss complained about actually, that no matter what you did, the public still somehow loved you. I don't see how we can't use that though, help one another out. Your publicity becomes our publicity after all."

[Gullara]

[Mount Kitsuki]

Artie frowns.
"Well, I know all that. But I don't, well. I don't know how this body works. Why I float. How my magic works; how I change shape and bring rain, just that I do. How long I'll live, though there were indications that is uh, not a problem. I'm sorry, this is too much to ask of you. But at least you might help me know where to look. Thank you." she says sincerely. Oh, what she wouldn't give for just a book on the subject.

[Mount Kitsuki]

"I don't think I'd be able to tell you everything you want to know. I know there are people that study people like us, but I just am." Kitsuki rolls her shoulders in a helpless shrug. "All I can really say is that everything you can do is because they are a part of you, as much as any part of your body is. They're not tacked on."

Annie comes back over to them, dragging her full bucket. "Mommy help." She demands. The kitsune flips the bucket over and lays the first part of whatever structure Annie is working on. The girl giggles with delight and reaches for the pail again. "Oh, and I'm pretty sure your children won't be quite like you. Not... a spirit, or whatnot." Though clearly based on Annie's tail she;'s not just a regular person either.

[Lord Magtok]

Beach Party - Bar with Dena

Magtok is pretty sure the Fettina coin is just a joke. Probably. It's not really our problem even if that coin does contain her soul, though. I mean, we've already completely forgotten the girl's name, she's just 'that one dame who has bad taste and wants to bang the cat' now. If our actions inadvertently save her soul from the cat, so be it. If they don't, that's fine too. The important thing is humiliating Reinholdt somehow, not saving the life of one of his foolish victims.

"I think I'd probably run screaming out of my room if I found a snake in my bed," Magtok admits, raising an eyebrow at one particular serpent, whom he's arbitrarily decided is the most likely one of Dena's snakes to try to terrify someone with a nasty prank like that. Don't even think about it, Sssssantiago! We've got no intentions of getting into bed with your master, but for the sake of anyone who does, don't you dare!

"As for your idea about working with NO-MERC, I mean. Sorry, bad habit...it sounds intriguing, but what would we even have me do? I mean, most of the old infrastructure is gone, the other Magtoks took everything with them when they went into space. I've got the face and the brand, but there's not a whole lot I can physically do besides look pretty and wave to crowds until I get the MagCave up and running again." He takes a sip of his drink, and almost writhes in disgust halfway through. Blegh, whiskey. Everyone on this wretched world has always had such ridiculous alcohol tolerance, gulping down gallons of whiskey and vodka and dragon's liver buster like it's water. Would be nice if we could order something non-alcoholic for once, without getting funny looks from everyone in the room.

"Keep talking business so they stop paying attention to us and leave. I have to warn you about him," Magtok mutters, with his glass still held to his mouth, muffling his words.

[Shadowcaller]

Beach Party - Bar with Dena

Of course its a joke, who would want Tina's soul?

Well, besides Rein of course. But, according to Magtok, the cat does have particularly bad taste.

"Yep, these disgruntled scale cables are the freaking bane of my existence." Dena says as she flicks the closest of them under the jaw with her fingers. It hisses in annoyance, but does little else besides looking at her accusingly.

'Sssssantiago' is unusually still among the serpents, no hissing and little of any slithering, just a lot of staring in the cyborgs direction. Which is probably why Magtok suspects it so much, not to mention it being one of the largest snakes to occupy Dena's scalp.

Regardless, she barely reacts when Magtok whispers and just replies to his previous statement. "I'll be honest, what I most remember you by is your Skyside stunt. The one where you offered to purchase slaves from slavers. But while that might be too controversial for MERC's M-O, controversy is still what you need..." She pauses a moment, thinking. "...got it. A campaign to establish a law in Skyside with you as the front figure. Doesn't really matter which law, it must just seem important enough for people to support it. Practically, it would have to be enforced by that royal guard of theirs thanks to overwhelming public opinion. But the campaign doesn't even have to succeed, just stir up some cages and put us both on the front center."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Beach Party - Swimming]

Kal puts his briefs back on. He doesn't say anything.

[Shadowcaller]

[Beach Party - Swimming]

"Oh relax. I didn't even peek," Ilpholin assures them. It's even true, for whatever that's worth. She ensures that Wenomir's trunks make it back to him as well. "Anika here can turn into a shark. It's crazy. You should have seen her jump out of the water. It was glorious," Ilpholin says, swimming back into position next to the night elf.

[Beach Party - Swimming]

Wenomir's face softens a bit. If Ilpholin didn't see anything, he supposes he can let that slide. No use getting angry on what's supposed to be a relaxing day. Anika didn't see anything either... though of course in her case that wouldn't actually matter.

"I'd seen her turn into a hawk and bear, but a shark is a new one," he says. "Are you two planning to go giving? Ilpholin's certainly dressed for that."

[Beach Party - Swimming]

Anika smiles widely as she situation seemed to have resolved itself. Not to mention at getting praised. "That's not nearly all I can turn into, but yeah." She nods. "I saw this wreck on my way to the beach and I figured we could check it out." She gestures outwards to sea. "It's not that far from the beach."

[Murkus]

[Beach Party - Bar]

And what a game it is. What are the rules? Are there rules? Should Lucy be given a timeout for being too forceful with that poor glass? Perhaps the next one will face a less terrible fate as she asks for the same again, another firey fruity concoction being placed in front of her. "Oh? And would it be such a bad thing if I let myself be taken advantage of?" Lucy discards the napkin and decides it's her turn to sidle a little closer. If there was any doubt before, there's none now, there's not really any personal space left between them.

"And I didn't mean to startle you." She moves to gently place a hand on Vivi's shoulder, and definitely doesn't let her gaze be drawn by Vivi's dramatic swooning. Nope. Definitely not. "But such outrageous statements about yourself! Why, Vivi, how could I ever let those be left unchallenged? I would be disgracing myself if I didn't point out what a charming, attractive, experienced lady you are." Somehow I don't think either of them would have much of a future in theatre with these performances.

[Beach Party - Bar]

"Well, if you aren't so concerned about being taken advantage of," Vivi says in a voice that's soft as velvet while she looks almost directly up at Lucy, "Why don't we share your new drink?" She glances at the bartender and asks for a pair of straws! Or grabs them if they're within reach. Into the new concoction they will go. They can drink it like young lovers! Vivi probably thinks it will look adorable. She's probably a bit behind the times on how cliche it is, but she might not be wrong about it being cute.

Vivi feels herself heat up a little more honestly as Lucy drops a hand onto her shoulder. So bold! Gods if this wasn't her favorite game. She gives Lucy an appropriately starry eyed look while she's so blatantly flattered, lips wrapped around a startled little 'o'. Her face melts into something like feigned calm after the last, color rising in her cheeks nevertheless. The lady's voice, meanwhile, is a bit wicked. "And how would you know how experienced I am?"

And, for the last move of her turn in the game... She'll wrap an arm around Lucy, given this closeness, and settle her hand on the small of the tall lady's back. There.

[Reinholdt]

[Beach Party - Bar wit' Tina]

Oh Magtok. Haven't you realized yet? Reinholdt stopped paying attention to you at least three posts back.

"Voodoo? Hmm. There's a thought. Nowhere near my skill set though." Reinholdt tilts his head thinking. He's having a hard time imagining what he'd even use voodoo to do. One of his stronger beliefs is in a person's freedom and that just clashes with the magical archetype too heavily. "I'm just a collector really. A treasure hunter as it were. Might trade it back to you for your phone number though. I'm undecided." It's good to leave those options open.

Rein smiles a little and then curiously leans over to look at her rummaging in her bag. "Let me guess, handbag of holding? I have something similar. Pocket dimensions are just too useful. Only have towels in there though." It's primarily filled with gear that'd be useful for basic adventuring and beach chairs didn't really top the list. "So if you have a spare chair, that'd actually be great." Otherwise, he'll just stick to the towel. No biggie. He was on the bar roof before this. Decidedly not picky on where he gets his sun.

[Beach Party - Swimming]

Ilpholin tilts her head, glancing between the three curiously, gently bobbing in the water. "Oh. You two already know each other then?"

She continues and reaffirms the answer to Wenomir's question. "Yeah, we're headed underwater. This diving suit is not as snug as my old outfit, but it is fairly nostalgic."

[Recaiden]

Beach Party - Sand Castles

In that case Mia will take the bucket and the sand Honeysuckle doesn't need. She doesn't rush either; it is fun to build and she wants to do it properly.

"Yeah. He was a famous member of AMEN and some other stuff. Thought I can't recall if we ever met directly."

"Oh. Well, I feel pretty silly for helping him then, of course. I didn't know any of AMEN was still around."
Honeysuckle picks out a little piece of driftwood and sets it over the front of the moat as a bridge.
"How's that?"

[Beach Party - Shore]

"I preached, guided the people, dealt with unruly spirits and kept order," Calm Reed explains. "I was once called upon to fight a Solar Anathema, even, along with other monks. I'm sure my skill can be of use here. There's always spirits who overstep their bounds and other threats common folk are ill-equipped to deal with."

Beach Party - Shore

"Hmph, that is what they call themselves. Just more of the southerners, to our tribes." Faudre shakes her head, trying to get her thoughts somewhere else - wherever this was, it clearly wasn't home, and her old prejudices didn't apply here.

"Then are there other schools of magic that Haar and I can go to? Once he's... done playing, that is. He does not see oceans often."

Anchor nods to Calm Reed "Oh, great. You're right; there'll be no shortage of threats to put down, I'm sure." That's actually a little sad, now that she thinks about it.
"Uh, I don't know about schools. Mostly it's learned like, master to apprentice. There might still be one in the city, though."
She glances at the wyvern again.

[Morty]

[Beach Party - Shore]

"Sorcerers tend to be solitary, outside the school of Heptagram, where I'm from," Calm Reed says. "But this place is clearly not like home." She looks back towards the party. "Thank you for all your help. Perhaps I should go mingle at this celebration, but I'm hardly dressed for the occassion."

[Beach Party - Swimming]

"Oh, yes. Anika's in Vigil too," Wenomir says, then nods. "Have fun exploring, then."

[Shadevale]

Thariza remains silent throughout the explanation, then nods.

"I guess that makes sense."

[Gnrlshrimp]

Raider's Cove

"If we do end up clashing, then I would ask that you remember that saying it isn't personal is a grievous error. Such fights always are. But...do not take it as an act of pure animosity or hate. It is what it is, nothing more and nothing less." Brokenfang explains, merely accepting of the potential fight, as if she could only shrug about it. "In the meantime though, we have guest rooms if you wish to spend the night and recover, there's food that will be done in a matter of hours, and in the morn I'll lend a ship to ferry you passage back along with any of those who wish to leave. I'll have you ask them yourself when the time comes." She offers. "There's going to be music and dancing as well, if such appeals to you."

[Raider's Cove]

"I shall happily accept the offer of food and rest, and maybe a little bit of merriment. What talents I have lie more in poetry and painting though, so I'm afraid I can't really offer to contribute anything to the music." Although she doesn't mention it, it's probably safe to say she's not the best when it comes to dancing either. Wings tend to get in the way a bit. "I wouldn't want to leave you short of a ship though. You have my thanks, but I can travel back by other means. I can safely accommodate anyone who does wish to go back in my little home. Truth be told I could spend the night there too if my use of a bed is going to be too much of a burden on you, but I'd like to see for myself what life is like here."

*****

[The Crystal Apex]

Damon follows along after Jaccalish, definitely having difficulty trying to keep up with these frustratingly oversized stairs in the way. He lets out a disgruntled hiss as he half-runs, half-clambers up the stairs in pursuit of his "companion".

It's safe to say that Damon probably isn't a huge fan of the demon.

Still, the sudden violent jerk actually provides an opportunity to catch up. Damon swiftly lobs a ball of black fire in an under-arm motion, sending a line of flames running along the stairs, then uses it to 'port his way up beside Jaccalish. "Come along. You can't let yoursssself get thrown off that easily!"

*****

[Beach Party - Bar]

An arms gets wrapped around Lucy's waist, Lucy retaliates by matching the move, albeit higher-up so her hand now rests on Vivi's other shoulder. She leans back slightly against the smaller woman's arm, raising an eyebrow at her suggestion regarding the drink. "Perhaps I'm one of those people who enjoy being taken advantage of. But are you sure you're not being a little too bold? That sip of my first drink looked like it almost got the better of you." She teases, snagging one of the straws between her rather sharp teeth and taking a sip. She's built up quite the tolerance to hot food and drink, it seems.

"As for why I think you're experienced, well, maybe I have good intuition, or maybe I'm just indulging in a little bit of hopeful fantasy. After all, if you are experienced, then I know you'll take full advantage of me." She winks, bumps her hip very lightly against Vivi and squeezes her shoulder.

Oh, wait, is that Sam's voice she hears? "Just a second Vivi, that's a good friend of mine singing." She wriggles free from their sort of half-embrace so she can turn and shout, "WOOO! SAM, YOU'RE AMAZING!" She cheers and bangs the bar a few times in appreciation, then promptly slides back into position beside Vivi.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Beach Party - Bar]

Cass quietly curses every single god she can dredge up from Raril's memories - both above and below ground, before deciding that committing to this course of action is the less embarrassing option.

"Uh... yeah... I can sing."

[Beach Party - Bar]

Electra's smile lights up, even as she notes Cass's sudden hesitation.

"I can go first, if you'd like. I like to sing, after all." She winks at Fayyaad. Considering the first time they met, she gave him and Dena a little mini-concert, he's probably all -too aware of this. She glances around, looking for the karaoke machine. "Any requests?"

[Morty]

[Beach Party - Bar]

Fayyaad looks up at the stage when Sam sings. Isn't that the fellow he once helped pick out clothes? He sings pretty well and looks like he could use a confidence boost. Fayyaad claps and cheers on him before he leaves, then turns back to Electra and Cassandra.

"Something more lively seems appropriate for a beach party. Last time we heard you sing it was at the Halloween celebration."

[Lord Magtok]

Beach Party - Bar with Dena

Spoiler

Show

Beach Party - Bar with Dena

Of course its a joke, who would want Tina's soul?

Well, besides Rein of course. But, according to Magtok, the cat does have particularly bad taste.

"Yep, these disgruntled scale cables are the freaking bane of my existence." Dena says as she flicks the closest of them under the jaw with her fingers. It hisses in annoyance, but does little else besides looking at her accusingly.

'Sssssantiago' is unusually still among the serpents, no hissing and little of any slithering, just a lot of staring in the cyborgs direction. Which is probably why Magtok suspects it so much, not to mention it being one of the largest snakes to occupy Dena's scalp.

Regardless, she barely reacts when Magtok whispers and just replies to his previous statement. "I'll be honest, what I most remember you by is your Skyside stunt. The one where you offered to purchase slaves from slavers. But while that might be too controversial for MERC's M-O, controversy is still what you need..." She pauses a moment, thinking. "...got it. A campaign to establish a law in Skyside with you as the front figure. Doesn't really matter which law, it must just seem important enough for people to support it. Practically, it would have to be enforced by that royal guard of theirs thanks to overwhelming public opinion. But the campaign doesn't even have to succeed, just stir up some cages and put us both on the front center."

"Oh gods, the Skyside thing." Magtok's going to need another swig of his drink for this. The buyback campaign was a goddamned mess, and probably one of his most miserable experiences in the Nexus. It might've helped a few people, but gods know it didn't have any lasting impact. It raised awareness towards a problem most everybody else was content to ignore, but from the things he's heard, Skyside is no closer to solving the slavery issue now than they were before he did any of that nonsense. God, things were so much simpler before he developed this stupid, useless conscience.

"I know I do a pretty good job of acting like the big bad former villain sometimes, but raptor christ, there was this one slaver...I still have nightmares about that scumbag. I'll sponsor whatever law you want if I don't have to talk to people like that again." He's not quite sure what she means by royal guard, though. Skyside has royalty now? Was there some kind of huge retcon when he wasn't looking, shifting from the flawed 'council of captains of industry' concept to something that wouldn't require all those deadtimed or disinterested players to get involved? Drat, he should've sold all his assets in the city and ran off while he still could. I suppose this is what happens why you get so overwhelmed by a city's oppressive anarcho-capitalism that you studiously ignore it for as long as possible.

"Oh, and before I forget to mention it, Rein's a breeder. He likes to knock up his one-night stands. You sleep with him once, boom, you're pregnant, and kitty daddy's moving on to the next girl. It's gross, I'm not actually his friend, and I can name three separate examples of this if you don't believe me. Don't get up and talk to your friend about it yet, but...you know, maybe pull them apart later, keep things from going too far. Sneak a pill into her food tomorrow," Magtok suggests, keeping his voice down and glancing at Tina and Rein now and then to be sure they're still too busy with whatever insipid flirty nonsense they're undoubtedly up to.

[Murkus]

[Beachside - Bar wit' Tina]

"Hey, you can't keep it! Or if you do, I want one!" Tina says, partly speaking past Rein at Dena. She eyes the cat and smiles. "You don't have to trade me for my number, if that's all you want."

She rummages and rummages, then pulls something out in her closed fist that seems to glow. Rein won't be able to see what it is quite yet. Her bag looks perfectly ordinary however. "Not quite," she says, smiling teasingly. "Here, let's go find that sunny spot, huh? Why don't you pick."

And provided that Rein does so, Fettina will sidle over to it with him, only extending her hand once they arrive. From her palm leaps a tiny construct of hardened light, which expands with a highly marketable 'FOOMP'. What lands in the sand is a bright pink adjustable lounge chair, softly glowing even in the bright sun. She goes around to the side and tosses out another beside it, which she'll plop on, her bare legs crossing as she gets situated. Her eyes will drift to Rein, and one brow arches.

[Beachside - Bar]

"No such thing as too bold," says Vivi, also bending to sip at the drink, their noses perhaps nearly touching if she does it timely enough. The old fey lady is just opening her mouth to remark on how she intends to take such full advantage of Lucy, but her saucy reply is cut short by Sam's performance and Lucy's subsequent reaction. Vivi giggles at it all and claps for him too, turning slightly to observe. "Your friend is cute. And his voice isn't bad. Should we go up there and sing next?"

[Deathkeeper]

[Mount Kitsuki]

"I don't think I'd be able to tell you everything you want to know. I know there are people that study people like us, but I just am." Kitsuki rolls her shoulders in a helpless shrug. "All I can really say is that everything you can do is because they are a part of you, as much as any part of your body is. They're not tacked on."

Annie comes back over to them, dragging her full bucket. "Mommy help." She demands. The kitsune flips the bucket over and lays the first part of whatever structure Annie is working on. The girl giggles with delight and reaches for the pail again. "Oh, and I'm pretty sure your children won't be quite like you. Not... a spirit, or whatnot." Though clearly based on Annie's tail she;'s not just a regular person either.

[Mount Kitsuki]

Artie looks disappointed but smiles.
"Well, alright. That's okay. If my children are half as cute as yours, they will be very special indeed." she says, smiling at Annie. Perhaps they'll have tails, too. She wouldn't tell Azren, but she'd prefer her children have real ones instead of those silly little ones deer have.

Beach Party- Jack & Kray

Kray might be familiar with the more usual 'plenty of fish in the sea'. Jack used her own version.

"If you say so. But anyway, I do hope it goes well." Jack nods, and continues onward.

[Beach Party- Jack and Kray]

Kray follows her, slowly.
"Thank you. What about you? You're just going to go home once you've had enough of the party?" she asks.

[Devixer]

Beach Party - Shore

Haar has landed on the shore, where the waves are currently cresting. He's jumping after the water as it recedes, then retreating, very occasionally dipping his claws or wingtips into the water.

"I must thank you for your help as well. I shall remain here, for a time. I admit, it is... not often I come to a place this peaceful." Faudre doesn't have much intention of socializing, but that likely won't matter here.

[Reinholdt]

[Beachside - Beach wit' Tina]

Reinholdt just smirks a little, making no promises at this time. If she wants her coin back, she'll have to earn it or steal it! The latter of which would be just as good as the former as far as the Treasure Hunter's concerned.

Raising an eyebrow of curiosity as Tina teases alternative truths about her handbag, Rein settles for grabbing their drinks and carrying them to a nice spot not too far from the bar. They want sun, but they also want alcohol. It's a solid compromise.

The fey watches with strong interest. Sure it's hard to tell if he's most impressed with Tina's legs or with the hard light beach chairs, but they're both pretty impressive really. "Very nice." He hands Tina's drink back to her before he settles into the other chair, letting his shirt flap open so the sun can warm his chest. His free hand runs along the chair, poking at it, having never really encountered any hard light objects before. The one light saber he stole surely doesn't count by nature.

"What are these? Where did you get them?" Reinholdt asks, his curiosity piqued. He might have to acquire a few of these things himself. They certainly seem handy.

[Zefir]

Beach Party - Sand Castles


"Oh. Well, I feel pretty silly for helping him then, of course. I didn't know any of AMEN was still around."
Honeysuckle picks out a little piece of driftwood and sets it over the front of the moat as a bridge.
"How's that?"

[Beach Party - Shore]




Anchor nods to Calm Reed "Oh, great. You're right; there'll be no shortage of threats to put down, I'm sure." That's actually a little sad, now that she thinks about it.
"Uh, I don't know about schools. Mostly it's learned like, master to apprentice. There might still be one in the city, though."
She glances at the wyvern again.

Beach Party - Sand Castles

"It's a bit complicated. He seems to be less Evil, but I never really had a chance to talk with him and there are many clones of him, too."

Mia nods at the brige. She is still on the wall, but from the look they will be very edgy.

"Looks good. So, what can you tell me about yourself?"

[Recaiden]

[Beach Party - Shore]

"Sorcerers tend to be solitary, outside the school of Heptagram, where I'm from," Calm Reed says. "But this place is clearly not like home." She looks back towards the party. "Thank you for all your help. Perhaps I should go mingle at this celebration, but I'm hardly dressed for the occassion."

Haar has landed on the shore, where the waves are currently cresting. He's jumping after the water as it recedes, then retreating, very occasionally dipping his claws or wingtips into the water.

"I must thank you for your help as well. I shall remain here, for a time. I admit, it is... not often I come to a place this peaceful." Faudre doesn't have much intention of socializing, but that likely won't matter here.

Anchor nods. "You should! I mean, if you want to stay awhile and enjoy the party, if you want to. I could even whip you up a suitable outfit if you wanted to swim or-"
"Oh, I never even told you my name, did I? I'm Anchor. And, uh, good luck, Faudre."
Finding a way home is rarely easy. People have tried their whole screen-times without making it.

Beach Party - Sand Castles

"It's a bit complicated. He seems to be less Evil, but I never really had a chance to talk with him and there are many clones of him, too."

Mia nods at the bridge. She is still on the wall, but from the look they will be very edgy.

"Looks good. So, what can you tell me about yourself?"

"Thanks. My name is 'Honeysuckle'. As I mentioned, I work in a bakery, and I also have a shift at the New Hodgepodge Power Plant, and that's because anything I look at gets incinerated, or completely disintegrated if I focus. I'm basically blind, of course, but I have a sort of second sight that helps me get around." And that's what the blindfold is for. Don't want any accidents.
Honeysuckle stretches her arms and flicks her tails (trying to shake out flecks of sand) before starting to pile up sand into the central tower of the castle.
"It's important to have a sense of humor about things because, they're just-just so sad, a lot of the time."
"And I used to be sad and worried all the time, on account of, well, lots of things in my past. But since the eclipse I don't feel so afraid."

"How about you?"

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Beach Party - Bar]

Lucy smiles and nods, "Yeah, he's cute. Needs the odd word of encouragement to keep him getting too down on himself, though. Hopefully seeing a beautiful lady such as yourself applaud his performance will give him a bit of a boost to the old self esteem." She winks at Vivi, refusing to let slip an opportunity to compliment her.

As for her suggestion...

"Um, I dunno about me getting up there and singing. Obviously I'd love to hear you sing, but the music I know isn't exactly, um, party music?" She takes a moment to glance over at Addie, but quickly gets the message that she's not going to want to take part. "Tell you what, Vivi, I'll sing if you sing. Aaaand if you go first." She grins a toothy grin and folds her arms, throwing down the musical gauntlet.

[Earl of Purple]

Beach Party- Jack & Kray

"Probably. Might see if I can get a date as well, but I don't have anything planned. Where I go depends on what the weather's like. If it's gonna be nice, I'll find a roof or a spire, if it's rainy I'll break into an abandoned attic. It's not too bad, really. Lots of hidey holes like that in Inside, and I'm on good terms with the Roof Tribes. Oh, hey. There's a park called Wilderedge Park, in Inside. It's not necessarily a good place for dates, but there's a restaurant nearby that is. It's got a rooftop eating area that overlooks the park. Don't go in the park unless you've got a good sense of direction, because whilst the radius is finite, the diameter is not. Apparently there's a statue in the middle, but I've not seen it." I'm pretty sure I've had such a park before, if not by that name.

[Gullara]

[Mount Kitsuki]

Artie looks disappointed but smiles.
"Well, alright. That's okay. If my children are half as cute as yours, they will be very special indeed." she says, smiling at Annie. Perhaps they'll have tails, too. She wouldn't tell Azren, but she'd prefer her children have real ones instead of those silly little ones deer have.

[Mount Kitsuki]

"I'd hope for more than half." Kitsuki remarks wryly. Not that Artie knows what a menace Annie can be. The little girl is still busy shovelling away. She's a toddler on a mission today. "You'll probably enjoy it, though. Just try not to get burned out. It's a lot of work."

[Artemis97]

[Raider's Cove]

A small but elegant sailing vessel pulls up to the docks and, while the crew busies itself to tie the ship down and to secure provisions, a single figure exits. It is a lone drow, male, dressed in the blue and gold livery of House Xar'Cha, wearing a wide brimmed hat, a messenger's bag and a short sword at his side. Unless stopped, he'll make his way through the jungle and up to the gate of the small village at the island's heart.

[Beach Party]

Perhaps a bit late, maybe fashionably so, arrives Aly'ithra. She's looking much more draconic than most people are used to seeing her, with wings and a long tail, and red scales covering most of her body. A few places still have blue-black flesh poking through, and she still has her long white hair, rimmed by a crown of tiny horns. She's wearing a strappy bikini in gold fabric, and has a large beach towel tucked under one arm.

[UncleWolf]

Raider's Cove - Ithuriel

Brokenfang seems to smile slightly and gives a shrug. "Stay as long as you like, though I insist that if you decide to stay for more than a few days I'll be forced to put you to work." She warns. She was probably actually rather serious about that too. "The guest rooms are on this floor and to the left as you exit. There's even hot water for a shower in the rooms if that is something that sounds appealing. I will have someone bring up fresh linens however. I do ask that you understand why we keep bars on the windows though. Not all guests turn out to be amiable." She points out with a shrug.

"Other than that, all I ask is that you don't go through the jungle at dark. The creatures there have free run of the place then and they really dislike smallfry like us intruding." Now that was something she sounded serious about.

Raider's Cove - Drow Messenger

There are dockworkers on the dock as the ship rolls up, a ragged bunch of ruffian Sea Elves with deep blue skin and shark like teeth. If allowed to help, they'll happily tie the ship to the dock and give a cheerful salute to whomever is on deck when they are finished. The Drow himself will even be offered a ride to the hamlet itself rather than being forced to walk the entire way, though the ride appears to be a beat up truck just as rough around the edges as the dockworkers.

[Artemis97]

[Raider's Cove - Drow Messenger]

The drow considers refusing the ride, but it was so bloody hot out. The ship had been bad enough, and then he had wind and surf to keep him cool. The jungle would be sweltering. Practicality wins over pride and he accepts the ride in the truck. These sea elves... they seemed a bit different than those he'd heard about. Seemed like the sort of people he could get to liking.

[UncleWolf]

Raider's Cove - Drow Messenger

The Sea Elf that drives him hums happily to some country music as she maneuvers the truck along the road and avoids a nasty looking bramble patch that scurried across with little warning. "Bramblies. Watch out fer the buggers. Like to sneak up on ya. The bigger ones will even burst yer tires to get to ya." She explains, grumbling as she readjusts her slouch hat.

When the gate comes into view, the woman slows the truck and pulls to a stop just inside. The Messenger will be let out and he'll likely see the person he was supposed to talk to not too far away. Brokenfang is busy helping haul a large block of white stone taller than she was out into the middle of the hamlet where men and women with hammers and picks waited to they could bust it down into gravel to spread around.

[Artemis97]

[Raider's Cove - Drow Messenger]

The drow is a bit surprised by the hostile plant life. Sure there were living mushrooms at home, but that was the Underdark. Were there things like that on the Surface too? Perhaps it was just some crazy Nexus thing.

He thanks the Sea Elf, and steps out of the truck, walking towards Brokenfang. He stops a respectful distance away and waits for her to notice him.

[UncleWolf]

Raider's Cove - Drow Messenger

Brokenfang's ear twists towards the Drow, a sign that she's noticed him, but she doesn't stop her work for a few minutes more. When she finally hauls the stone into position, she picks up her own sledgehammer and along with the three burliest workers of the bunch they break it down to more manageable chunks in just a few moments. When she's done, she sets her hammer aside and walks over to the Drow. He'll find that she's a towering mass of muscle and short red-tan fur with patches of chrome upon her left side. She isn't breathing heavily at all, having already recovered from the rough work of hauling the block, but she takes a long breath in through her nose after she approaches. "Delmah Phor." She states rather than questions. "This is somewhat unexpected."

[Artemis97]

[Raider's Cove - Drow Messenger]

"Lady Brokenfang," The drow male bows deeply to her, sweeping his hat of his head. He straightens, replacing his headgear to keep the sun out of his eyes, and reaches into his messenger bag. Slowly he withdraws a letter, sealed in blue wax with the spider in its web symbol House Xar'Cha favored, and offers it to the Wolfen. "I bring tidings from House Xabaresh Chaeron and the other Houses of Delmah Phor."