Welcome to Gaia! ::

Walter was a very happy boy, he thought at he toddled across the sand, hand in hand with a bikini clad Ice. The sea was huge and pretty, and women wore the most awesome clothing on beaches! He grinned up at his mother. "This is like the lake, right?"

"You're right, but it's a lot bigger!" She replied. She wasn't worried about Walter, though, Walter would be fine no matter where he went. It was Oblivion that was starting to worry her.

The poor metal daemon stayed back as far as she could get without straining her bond with Walter. She didn't like sand. It kept trying to get in the metal plating of her skin. And she REALLY didn't like the large, imposing, horrifying body of water that loomed ahead of them-- 'Kill Bill was on... shouldn't we be watching it?' She asked her forgotten desperately, getting skittish as a small sandcrab raced across her path. She actually hated that movie, but anything was better than this!

"Oblivion!" Walter called over his shoulder, pretending not to have heard her. "Hurry up! We want to go swimming!" And look at more swimsuit clad ladies!

Althalus was having -fun-.

He'd lain on the sand for a while, Stealth sunning herself neatly on his tanned back as he rummaged around through the sand at the bottom of the runnels of water that ran away fromt he springs towards the sea. The sea? Lots of water, and salty, and kinda boring. But the sunshine? He had no reason to try hiding out here, and Stealth was adoring the heat that she had craved.

Several shiny shells and interesting rocks later, Althalus jumped to his feet, grinning. That was boring now, but this wasn't! Now, who to show it to..... Stealth scratched indignantly at his back as she scrabbled to a safer balancing point on his shoulder, latching her tail around his neck with a grumble.
Warn me next time you jump up like that!
Training for being taken by surprise!
Shouldn't you be the one more worried about being taken by surprise?
....
SHUSH.
Don't shush me.
Despite the snide comments, Althalus grinned widely as he pattered along the sand barefooted, hands clutched together in front of him. Kel was..... over there, reading a book. Boring! His glance came down on the pair walking down towards the sea, a miserable looking metal daemon clanking along behind.

"Hey, hey, guess what I found!" The short, skinny boy ran over to them, completely unphased by the fact they were strangers. The boy was a Forgotten too, was he not? Then he was okay. He skidded to a halt on the sand in front of them, holding his closed hands out towards them, dark eyes bright in his tanned face. Stealth on his shoulder gave the mental equivalent of rolling her eyes, and blended to merge easily with her partner's skin colour.

"You got three guesses!"

Althalus shook his head, still grinning. "Not pink. Two more! What do you think, pretty lady?" He tilted his hands towards her, blinking innocently. Stealth tried her best not to be amused.

She won't be impressed if you throw it at her.
You spoil all my fun.
I stop you getting in big trouble from Kel/mother.
..I guess I stop you sometimes too -grinimage-
...
And who says trouble ent fun?

Althalus looked sideways as he held his hands a bit lower for Walter, though they were still squeezed tight shut. No-one was going to peek here... Stealth pretended not to be caught up in the game, but cautiously she unlatched her tail and moved a bit further down his arm, the movement the only thing that gave away her position, small claws leave unnoticeable scratches on Althalus' bare arm. One bad thing about the beach was that it was a lot easier to grip onto cloth rather than skin.

"Maaaaaaybe," came the cheerful reply. "One more guess!"


Kel looked up from her book, where she was lounging on a laid out towel a way away. Glancing around absently for Althalus to check he was alright, she finally noticed him standing in front of some other people. Sitting up slightly, she squinted into the sun at them, leaving a finger in the book to mark the place. She'd just check he wasn't trying to be an infernal nuisance....

"Three guesses over!" Althalus flourished his hands, waving a manylegged crawling thing proudly in front of Walter's face, face lit up in expectation of the surprise. Stealth snickered, opening her mouth in the lizard-daemon's equivalent of a smile, before flicking glittering eyes to the miserable looking metal daemon that was a little way behind.

You look happy, was the only comment she made, trying to ignore the mad giggles that Althalus was happily producing.

Not quite fright, but curiousity was just as good...

"Sure," said Althalus firmly, holding the madly wriggling creature by its tail, hand still damp with salt and sand. "It was right in the bottom of one of the pools. "Here, you have it. I bet it's got over a hundred legs...."

There is that. Stealth reply was aimiable, and she yawned delicately again. Maybe you should ask your one to carry you too...

Althalus blinked, squinting over at the metal-formed daemon who seemed to be complaining so vociferously. He dropped the squirming thing into Walter's hands, and tilted his head cheerfully.

"I bet you have more fun in the city, huh? Me too, but you can't find the creepycrawlies there." He laughed, straightening up a little, obviously older but barely taller. "And Stealth would complain about the lack of sunshine if we stayed inside all the time." He stroked a finger across her head lightly, grinning.
Would not, was her halfhearted snippy reply.