Welcome to Gaia! ::

(( Wooo! Beach Par-tay! Or something like that. XD Taking a break from all the egg-searching going down. ))

Alanna couldn't remember who it was who had suggested a 'relaxation day' down at the beach, but even in passing she'd latched onto the idea of going down to the beach for a day -- even though she knew that she'd get roped into some sort of an 'awkward' conversation or end up failing somewhere with the sand.

This was doubled when she'd noticed another girl (who she'd had a rough run-in the other day) was heading out as well -- albeit in a way that said she was coerced. Either way, Alanna was making sure to stay well out of scarface's way. Forbid she actually make the girl throw herself into another panic like before.

Really, it had been an accident!

But Ichta kept looking at the other candidate like she was going to grow horns and lynch her. Really, for a day they were supposed to relax, the girl sure seemed intense!

Then again, for Ichta, being on the beach was something difficult, seeing as it meant she had to go without her undershirt -- wearing it all day in the sun would have overheated her, so she was...exposed in her own way -- the scar was all the 'exposure' she needed.

Which meant once they'd actually gotten to the beach, she'd wandered off to putter in the water, kicking the sand and.. lingering. To go and socialize if prompted, but also wanting to just go and skip rocks.

Alanna, on the other hand, was all set to make herself the center of attention! Just how she'd manage that, she didn't know.

Alanna actually had a start when the other girl came up behind her (insert Miyazaki-styled hair-puffing here, mentally), but managed to recompose herself easily enough before looking back to Moira with a sight frown, as though she was debating something mentally. Hmmm, she could handle a little bit of conversation, she figured -- hopefully without messing it all up.

Because she sucked like that,

Ohh yes, someone else who had to ponder the necessities of a beach-visit (for Alanna, it was a chance to be around and be better than everybody else, so there).

"Well see, I don't know." she admitted, smiling smugly as though there was some hidden meaning to this fact. However, she gave a quick look around before adding in a whisper; "But I know I can sit in the shade and watch everybody else fail with all of the nature involved."

Que lightning and evil maniacal laughter here!

BWA HA HA HA!!! Maybe she'd even get her feet wet, but in the meantime, she'd cling to the new idea that had struck her to answer what she had.

Renna was not one for exercise -- not at all. She had spent her whole life sweating in the Ista heat, and that, along with an otherwise active lifestyle, had kept her fit enough. Not muscled, not toned, but healthy. There wasn't enough motivation for her to suffer through grueling exercise -- that is, unless it was something that didn't feel like exercise.

Growing up on the island, the young candidate had learned to swim at a young age, and she had taken to that pursuit like a dolphin, dipping into the ocean at every possible opportunity. After hanging out with Moira and marveling at the fellow candidate's fitness, Renna had felt, well, a bit dumpy. Certainly not anywhere near the other candidate in terms of physical competitiveness. So, it was with improving her physique in mind that Renna took to the waves that day, swimming laps while fighting the current.

She came out early to avoid onlookers, stripping down quickly and leaving her top, britches, and rope-bound sandals on a secluded strip of beach. Renna hardly saw people in this spot -- that is, until today. Floating on her back out in the surf, Renna heard voices. Uh-oh. Sinking lower into the waves, Renna's head was a small bump above the water, eyes searching the shores for warm bodies. Yikes -- there were a handful of them.

Her heart beat faster. Sure, she wasn't the most modest girl in the entire world, but the prospect of making a first impression while naked was not particularly palatable for the young candidate. Treading water as lightly as possible, Renna swam a good dragonlength from the other beachgoers. She practically sprinted into the tree cover, scooping up her light tunic and britches with a hand. Sand stuck to her wet body in muddied clumps, but she managed to get dressed in what seemed like record time. Retreating to the spot her clothes had been, she grabbed her sandals and began a leisurely stroll toward the other people, squeezing water out of her hair as she walked.

When she was within shouting distance, she lifted a dripping hand and half-shook, half-waved it at the gathering group. "Hello there!" Squinting she tried to pick out familiar shapes -- Ichta and Moira stuck out to her, one for her dark, erratically cut hair and the other for her generally cowering posture. A little out of breath from her swim, Renna took her time approaching the group. No need to look winded.

G'ran had never before been to a beach. It was that reason alone that he kept from protesting as the little brown quietly and quickly padded along at his side. It would be just like the lake, wouldn't it? Except for... A rueful eye was cast towards the sand beneath his feed, thoughtfully wriggling his toes even though his sandals prevented him from feeling the stuff. So strange. To think there was no longer the dark and cramped tunnels of the mines, but only open air like this and... Shards, water. He stopped at the top of a dune to stare out at the crashing waves.

Big hands eventually came to rest on his hips as he watched scenery with what might have been a bit of incredulity. The sun was warm on his back, almost to the point where he was uncomfortable, and the man certainly wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to swim. His expression soured mildly as he spotted several other bodies, but they were farther along down the beach. But knowing his dragon...

Whirling green eyes met his as though summoned, and Ormeteth stopped twitching his talons in the sand long enough to regard His.We can go see them later, if you would like, Mine! I would like to explore, too.

His lips twitched for the first time at that, not knowing whether his dragon was being kind to him for once, or simply being honest. Whatever the case, he merely nodded and began to move again. With the dragonet at his heels, he'd soon kicked off his sandals and was quietly wading in the surf--conveniently ignoring how the brown kept shoving his nose into the water and snorting like he'd never seen it before.

When you inhale it and choke, I'll laugh. He thought grimly.

You will probably make that funny choking sound and see if I am all right, but I will remind you to laugh! Ormeteth replied cheerfully, dropping his jaws as though grinning.

Honestly, of all the sharding dragons, he had to get the wherry...

Maintaining her slow pace, Renna spotted Ichta by the water. It looked like she was -- throwing things? Maybe trying to skip rocks? The young candidate was fairly sure that skipping rocks was only possible on flat, smooth bodies of water like lakes, but she wasn't about to say this to Ichta. No need to send the girl running already. When she got close enough, Renna tossed her sandals onto the beach and then collapsed right beside them, digging her heels into the soft shore. "Hello, Ichta," she said, squeezing even more water out of her tangled hair. "Great day for the beach, eh?" In the distance, Renna spotted the arc of something -- a dolphin maybe? -- making a small leap in the air.

Swiveling around, she glanced to the other arrivals -- waving specifically to Moira -- and then turned her attention back to Ichta. "I don't think I know any of these people -- other than you and Moira. Do you?" Nice and easy, that's right, just a simple conversation.