[ORP] Under the Sun - Summer Beach Party 2010

[Snoofington]

(( Halfway to Petting Zoo -> Beeline to Oceanfront; tag to Neon ))

As she walked with a brisk pace, Tango keeping up easily, Anita's attention was caught by some clicking and flashing in the distance. It wasn't continuous, very sporadic actually, which denoted a camera. Natural curiosity caused her head to turn and her pace to slow so as to not run into anyone, but at her sudden stop she might as well have.

There, just some yards off, was a vaguely familiar face and the only emotion that surged from her gut in reaction to seeing this person was apprehension. She didn't know his name, she didn't know why he was here, and she didn't know if he was affiliated with Lab but her stomach tightened into a knot and just as his eyes seemed to look onto her, she quickly turned away to stare wide eyed at the sand, then at Tango, then at the ocean. Zul's busy right now anyway... she assured herself, glancing once more to the petting zoo which had a new female Raevan present, more black clad but this one with a ponytail and wings that looked nothing like wings. So much black in this weather, even she was doing it; her sandals were black, her trunks were black, her bikini top and bottom was black and white checkers (though the bottom was, of course, hidden by the trunks).

Within seconds, Anita's trajectory had changed from straight to the petting zoo to a complete beeline towards the waves. This section of beach was currently unoccupied, and all the better. When she was close enough so that the waves were near but not reaching her current location (and seemed as though they hadn't, ever), she set the cooler down and locked the handle upright with the towel tucked beneath it. There, she unhooked Tango's collar and rapped the leash fully around her arm to keep it in place. The dog ran loose quickly, wet sand kicking up in small piles, and he rushed into the waves, nipping at the water as it hit him. He was soaked instantly.

Of all people who arrived and were nearby, it just had to be someone from those incidents, really. The mistletoe getting sent to her work was an extremely nice gesture on Zul's part, even more so for him to have thought of her at all, and there were no ends to how grateful she was that it happened but if she had known what that Essence did when she got it, it would have sat in the back room, away from anyone, until she was ready to go home. But no, like an idiot, she kept it with her for a few days at work and ended up kissing fifty percent of the customers, some even coming back for seconds! Her free, unleashed hand smacked against her forehead and she covered her face, which was now quite pink and not from the sun. It wasn't as though he in particular was bad, if it had been anyone else from those days it would have been just as mortifying, and even worse if it was one of the guys who tried to force one on her when she no longer brought the item to work or had attempted to do more when she did because they couldn't keep their hormones in check. But why, of all places, did she had to run into one of them when she was, for all intents and purposes, half naked?!

Life just wasn't fair sometimes.  

[Yuurei-dono]

((Yuurei= setting up on the beach / Lucia=by the water -> petting zoo / Ty= popsicle stand -> petting zoo))

Ty nodded as the man tentatively said his name. ”She’s doing better. But – well, you know.” Life sucks? Yes. It takes time? Sure. People need to learn to get over it. Mostly. Including Lucia? Aye. Whether all of the subtext was communicated in three words didn’t matter.

He pushed the blonde strands out of his eyes and looked out at the beach. Lucia was there, by the water alone. And Rivener was a bit further up, on his way back towards the people with what must be Zul and someone else – Cordelia possibly? He had only met Rivener, but Lucia had pictures and vivid descriptions of the others. ”Rivener looks like he’s doing better.”

His accent, not disturbed at all by the month he had been in Gaia, was apparent as he spoke the sentence. His eyes trailed over the beach to the petting zoo. Alex, it seemed, was a bit less swamped than before, and, he noted, wearing a sexy bikini top and bottoms that gave him a glimpse of skin. ”I’ll see ya around,” he said a little distractedly before walking towards the woman.

Walking around the back of the booth, the blonde hopped into one of the pools with the chimeras. He was used to the butterflox at home now, who often chilled with him in the recreation loft as he worked on his game. But these were different. A little skeeved out by the Octopussy, Ty contented himself with petting one quickly moving foxfish and glancing every so often at Alex’s tush. Now that he was living here, maybe she’d agree to a date.

He gently pinched the back of her calf and looked down quickly at the fish, hoping not to get caught.

-------------------

Lucia stared out at the waves, glancing at her friends every so often. Pasha was by the drinking booth. Vyn was with Anya on the beach. Zul was with Rivener and now Delia. She watched at Ty walked to the petting zoo and, not wanting to be with people and not wanting to be alone, she didn’t know what to do.

So she floated up. She wished there was a cloud. Somewhere she could hide. Blinking, she followed her guardian’s brother to the petting zoo. She smiled and let out a giggle as Ty pinched Alex’s leg. Had they met before?

Lucia floated down to the ground and settled down a bit away from the booth, but close enough that she could watch everything, and anyone who wanted to could see her.

Running her fingers through the sand, the Kitten made nonsensical patterns before wiping them away in a flurry of finger movements.  

[Arana Kamina]

(( Popsicle Booth >> Ocean >> Oceanfront; Tag to Snoof ))

As Ronan took the last bite of his popsicle and all that was left was the little wooden stick, he decided that, for the moment, he should probably move on. The young man - Zeke - had said he would be willing to answer any questions, but it was becoming quite apparent that he would be busy for awhile. Ronan was not the kind of person to intrude, and it was going to stay that way.

Disposing of his popsicle stick in the booth's trashcan, he gave a quick crack of his knuckles and jogged down the sand towards his stuff. Kneeling down by his towel, he reached into the bag to grab some more sunscreen, slathering it on with quick strong strokes of his hands. Some of the white cream was briefly caught in his patch of chest hair, but another pass of the hands quickly smoothed it out. The lotion container was shoved back into the otherwise empty bag, and Ronan stretched his back as he stood once again.

Not waiting any longer, he sprinted down the sand towards the water, the thumping of his feet in the sand turning into splashing as he went into the waves. Instead of stopping in the shallow water to wade, he continued to run until the water was at the bottom of his swim shorts at which point he dove in head first, swimming out into deeper waters.

About 5 minutes later Ronan returned, a huge grin plastered on his face as he slowly waded back to shore. He could have stayed out for much longer, but he had to remind himself that for now he was just human, not to mention that there was a party he was suppose to be attending. The swim had still raised his spirits considerably though, a good recharge from the stresses of everyday life. Giving a sputter at the water that was running down his face from his hair all the way down to dripping off his goatee, he shook out his hair, a bit like a dog. Speaking of dogs....

"Oh, I'm sorry, I did not see you there!" Ronan said, just now noticing Anita and Tango, who were only a few feet away. "Guess I wasn't paying attention well enough when I came out of the water. The name's Ronan," he said warmly, pushing his hand back through his hair, wet strands running between fingers. "You here for the party too?" he inquired with a smile, curiosity piqued.  

[OrionDeltaOmega]

[[Oceanside]]

Watching her words cause different reactions amongst the two Raevans, Lette almost regretted her inquisitiveness. The pain on the older male's face was evident as Zul's resounding "No" was expressed so quickly. These were definitely the times that she regretted not watching her words, even if she didn't exactly regret the actual question itself. Trying to catch Rivener's eyes, in hopes to brighten his mood with a a caring smile thrown his way, Lette did her best to pay attention to what Zul was saying at the same time.

"Team Captain, eh? Are you going to protect me if I end up on your team. Either way it sounds interesting." Laughing, Lette reached forward to take the bronzed Raevan's arm. "You know what? I think I will join in on these games. Paint-ball is something I'll definitely be interested in. I don't know about the sand castle building, or the seashell gathering, but I'll think about it. But yes, oh valiant sir, do lead the way." Laughing again at her sudden change in speech, Lette was thoroughly surprised when something seemed to collide into the group squealing greeting. It seemed another Raevan had joined the group, this one thoroughly excited to see the others.  

[NeonMace432]

((Halfway to petting zoo -> Following Anita - tag to Snoof & Arana))

It wasn't too surprising that the girl avoided Leo, she was pretty embarrissed the last time they ran into eachother. She did just plant a random kiss on him for no reason, or at least, no explained reason. It would still be really nice to talk to her... She seemed cool in her own right, at least, the couple of times they've talked as he went in to trade in games.

Leo noticed a young man running into the two, wondering if now was the best time to go over. Surely the man wouldn't mind posing for a picture, would he?

Following after her, barely going past a jog, he called out, "Miss! I have a question for you!" As he got closer, he evened his breathing, giving her a warm smile. "Miss, I was wondering if I could take some photos of you and your dog? He's beautiful. Figured you two would make a nice photo." Leo lifted his camera, his eyes never leaving hers. "I promise I'll give you a copy next time I come in to the Game Depot."

Looking her over, Leo noticed that she really was quite attractive. It was odd, seeing a girl in a pair of swimtrunks, but they suited her. He bent down, coaxing her dog to come over for some loving. "What's his name?" Pulling his camera to eye-level, he took a quick shot of the dog playing in the water. "I'll give you that one, too," he said with a chuckle.

"I couldn't help but over-hear that your name was Ronan? Would you mind posing for a picture, as well?"  

[Aphismet]

[[Popsicle Booth >> Drinks Booth BBQ stand (Aphismet only)]]

Aphi nodded at Zeke's energetic agreement that they should have that dinner. The dual-haired man then moved over to see to Varun, and Aphi could devote his attention to Ty. The Australian kept it brief, saying much about Lucia's state even though he'd barely said a word. The mention of Rivener doing better drew a slight shrug from the white-haired man. "Physically yeah, he's doing better. His wings are working again."

And then apparently Ty found something else that caught his eyes, distractedly brushing Aphismet off and making a bee-line for the Petting Zoo. The chef's eyebrows raised high in surprise as he noticed what Ty had been none-too-subtly staring at: Alex! Even as Aphi watched, one of Ty's hands snuck up to give the Italian's calf a pinch!

...If Aphismet were a jealous kind of man he'd have marched over there to clear his throat and cross his arms, informing Ty that Alex was very much spoken for. Thankfully, Aphismet was not the jealous type, far from it. He snickered to himself, wondering what Alex's reaction would be. She was likely to do the arms-crossed-informing-of-being-spoken-for thing herself, really. Aphi never wanted his girlfriend to feel trapped or smothered, and he figured she would make up her own mind about who she wanted to be with regardless of Aphi's interference. He just happened to know Alex would still be coming home to him later, that's all.

"Call over if you want anything, Zeke: I'll be at the BBQ." The chef grinned and waved one last time, heading over to the small propane grill near the drinks.

As Aphismet settled to a seat on the picnic table beside that grill, the man spotted a familiar face nearby. Well, more than one of course, but the closest one was-

"Doucette!" He waved at her in greeting, not wanting to interrupt her conversation with Pasha (who looked lovely as always). He'd still be sitting here when she was done chatting, surely.  

[Snoofington]

(( Oceanside - Tag to Arana and Neon ))

Life wasn't fair sometimes, but it also had a sense of humor and an even deeper sense of irony.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone dive into the ocean. Anita paid them no mind, it was what people were here to do and they weren't dangerously close to her. At that point, she couldn't even make out the gender completely, so she just paid attention to Tango, her hand finally lowering from her face as she calmed down and stood with her arms crossed, a smirk on her face and a tilt to her hips.

Tango's fur was soaked now, and so was his bandanna. Maybe she should have taken that off before she let him loose, but too late now. She just chuckled and shook her head. Then something lurched in the waves nearby and Tango backed up onto the beach, keeping his rump in the air and tail all a-wag as a rather handsome man came up out of the water and addressed her. A nice goatee, not exceptionally hairy, and... mm, happy trail. Shaking her head slightly, Anita's green eyes darted from a certain area to Ronan's eyes and smiled awkwardly, letting loose a short and embarrassed laugh as she was preparing to introduce herself in kind--however, she was interrupted by the very person she walked over here to avoid.

He had seen her and he remembered her. Of course, he had been to the store a few times before. He wasn't an exceptionally regular customer, but they chatted here and there. The times were so few and far between, she would have pegged herself rather forgettable but apparently not, much to her surprise. Especially not after... that. And Jesus, wasn't he forward? At least he wasn't asking about that time, and that made her feel a bit better but it was obvious she was still a bit awkward. The idea of having her picture taken, though, made her cross her arms a bit higher so her chest was covered. "Uh... I-I'd rather not... I mean, you can take pictures of him, sure," she nodded to her dog who had wandered back to Anita's side, "But none of me, please."

How weird, asking someone you barely knew for a picture. She felt a bit better when he asked Ronan for a photo, as well, but no, she would still pass on that offer. "He's Tango," and then she turned to Ronan, offering an apologetic smile, "And sorry, I'm Anita. It's nice to meet you." she nodded firmly before turning back to watch Leo as Tango made his way over to Leo, picking up on Anita's apprehension and being slightly cautious in his approach, but he seemed to find nothing wrong with the tan, light haired man once he started giving him a good scratch behind the ears. The fact he called Tango "beautiful" caused Anita to smile a bit, but she still felt pretty awkward about the whole situation.

Then she remembered Ronan asked something else, and she turned back, another apologetic smile across her face, "Yeah, I am. Actually, I'm waiting for a Raevan to be born..." she said fondly, eyes glancing towards Zul once more. If her Raevan had been born already, she would have definitely taken them here...  

[Milk and Golden Honey]

[[Petting Zoo // Tags mainly toward: Chrystali && Yuueri-dono]]

Ekundayo smiled rather proudly when Alex pointed out her jeweled goldfish hairclips. She momentarily released the woman’s hands to touch her hair.
“Faye did it,” she said. Ekundayo tilted her head to the side at Alex’s explanation on swimwear, her golden eyes studying the woman. “Not polite?... Human rules are strange sometimes. Faye teaches me every day.”
The Raeven’s rather displeased puzzlement was forgotten when Alex mentioned the fat goldfishes again. Ekundayo began to swing their arms once more.
“Oh, you should come over. I’ll show you the park and the goldfishes,” she said. Ekundayo was sure Faye wouldn’t mind. And then she could show Alex her jar and her room and her small collection of random nature items she had picked up from the park.

Ekundayo turned her head and looked over at the booth Alex pointed to when she let go of her hand.
“Games?” she asked. However, Ekundayo did not elaborate on her question when she felt a small dip in Alex’s mood. She could only describe it as a kind of sinking feeling. Ekundayo’s smile weakened around the corners of her lips.
“Are you okay, Alex?” she asked. It was at this time the Raeven noticed a man drawing close to Alex, his eyes repeatedly returning to the woman’s body. Her golden eyes caught two of the man’s fingers curl like pincers and touch Alex’s legs. Ekundayo frowned.
“That man just touched you,” she said rather bluntly. She could not help but feel territorial about Alex. It was the same way that she felt about Faye when she thought he laughed too much with another person.
 

[Ac.Wings]

[[Popsicle Booth >> Drinks Booth BBQ Stand; Tag towards Aphi ]]

Iorek adjusted his familiar vest as he and his guardians moved out of the car and onto the party plane. As his ribbon came to rest over the sand, Reks' vibrant eyes gazed over the festivities with anxiety. So many people and so many fragile looking stands. He could bust them all with one careless bump. The gargoyle hadn't been this nervous concerning his strength since he went into Vivi and Shepard's desert shop.

A loud whistle knocked Iorek back to his senses before he could completely recall the chocolate shop. Iorek glanced to his side to find a messy haired boy looking over the engagement with glee.

"It's really bustling!" Tyson nudged the stone figure with a big grin on his face. But the smile vanished when he saw the look on his pal's face. "You look like you're going to throw up a rock slide. Don't be so nervous about this, kay? It's just a group of people getting together for laughs. No big deal."


"Well boys, let's get going. I haven't seen these people for months." Another excited voice sounded in Iorek's ear as his favorite lass came up from behind. Lillian wrapped her arms around the duo's shoulders and with one big shove she pushed them towards the gathering.

As they headed towards the party Reks gulped and tucked his arms close to his frame in an attempt to make himself look smaller.

Lillian reached up to adjust her wide-brimmed sunhat as they moved into the crowd. Glancing from side to side she immediately noticed a familiar white haired man calling out to someone. "Isn't that Aphismet?"

Iorek blinked when he too spotted the man. "I think so...should we-" Before he could finish his sentence Lillian was already pushing them towards the stand.

But someone was too excited to see the man and darted off from the trio. Tyson left a startled Iorek and Lillian in the dust as he ran towards the booth at top speed. "Hey you!! Aphi!!"  

[Aphismet]

[[Drinks Booth BBQ stand (Aphi only)]]

The chef had barely lowered his arm from the wave to Doucette when his name rang out from nearby. A familiar tousle-haired head ran towards him full tilt, and beyond him the other two hurried over at a more controlled pace... Aphismet's face lit up like Christmas and he opened his arms, lunging forward to catch the running Tyson with an elated laugh.

"Tyson! Lil, Iorek! I'm so so so soooo glad to see you all! You don't call me anymore, I don't know if I should be making you more frozen dinners! Lemme look at you." Sternly the man pushed Tyson at arm's length, giving the boy a once-over, then turning the same scrutinizing look to Lillian and Iorek. "Tsk, not enough meat on your bones! I'm going to have to feed you tons more! C'mere, Lil, gimme a hug! And ah, you'll have to go see Alex, too! She'll have my head if I don't send you guys right over! She's over there, the hot little number in the bikini by the Petting Zoo." Aphi grinned as he pointed out his girlfriend, suddenly wondering if the Maevins were even aware of the two dating?  

[Chrystali]

(( Petting Zoo // Oceanside, attempting to move towards Popsicle Booth! XD ))




Faye did it. Well. Alex was now convinced that the man either had an impeccable eye for femininity or he was rather relating to it. Trying to hide the way the thought made her grin, she nodded her agreement, her eyes a bit more somber than her mirthful expression. "They are very strange," she agreed in a quiet manner. "Zul says the same thing. It was hard for him to understand and adhere to them - I hope it's easier for you, since you have such a great teacher." Better than me, anyway, she added mentally, biting the inside of her lip. At least Ekundayo hadn't gone and burned half a vehicle out of self-righteous rage.

Her green eyes momentarily rested on Zeke as they faced the booth, watching him smile and chat with everyone who needed his attention. Dayo's question was heard but not immediately responded to, the Italian giving herself a moment to draw in a breath and exhale slowly to ground herself again. Just starting out the festivities and she was already feeling worn out emotionally! Drawing from Zeke's chipper attitude, she smiled warmly at the Eagle, nodding. "I am okay," she said with affirmation. "Just a little overwhelmed. So much going on, you kn--"

Pinch.

Alex drew her leg in immediately, turning her accusing glance towards the feisty Chimera, not even immediately assuming that the unfamiliar back of an unfamiliar blonde could have been the culprit. However, Dayo choose to enlighten the socially-inept woman, making her annoyed look fall into stark surprise, bright eyes taking another look at the back. Did she know that back? She was hit with the same sense she had felt with Fathle when they'd first met: surely, she didn't know this person, there's no way she'd forget someone with such a frame! She wrinkled her nose, tilting her head to the side until she could see at least half of his face, the eyes immediately striking her as familiar. But why?

The mental image of a Zelda wallet followed suit, and with a surprised laugh, Alex's free hand was in motion, playfully whacking Ty square between the shoulders before ruffling his hair. "Ty! You sly weasel, I should have known that it was you! I don't know any other trouble-tempting blondes." She arched a slender brow and curved her lips in a wry smirk, resting the hand on her hip while continuing to hold Dayo's with her own. Tilting her head to the Frei, she grinned, the previous misgivings once more washed away. "Dayo, this is Ty, he's the brother of Lucia's Guardian, Yuurei." She lifted her chin to indicate the two that she could see, eyes lingering a heartbeat longer on the blonde female before returning to the charming Aussie. "This is Ekundayo." She didn't know Fathle well enough to introduce him - that, and he seemed preoccupied with Ethan - so she left any embellishment to the Eagle herself. "How nice to see you again! How are our beaches treating you? Not like Aussieland, I'm sure!"


---


"Stormy!" the demon crowed with delight mere seconds before the trio were suddenly in the Basilisk's presence, the arm not bent to escort Trinity quickly wrapping around Cordelia's back to give her a hug, lightly nuzzling against her dark hair. Giving the scaled femme a fond smile, he turned his blue eyes to the human and began introductions once more. "This is Cordelia," he used her full name, though it sounded a little exotic and spoken in a slow manner for his lack of using it frequently. "Delia, this is Trinity, though you can call her Lette." He was vaguely amused at how long the introductions could get with with nicknames tacked on. Almost defeated the purpose of their creation to begin with!

Zul turned his smile towards Rivener; the sight of the Scorpion suddenly so withdrawn made the mirth drain from his eyes, despite maintaining his 'happy' expression. A dark brow lifted at the nearly missed protest, his expression momentarily shifting to convey the words he couldn't say out loud: isn't this what you wanted? The Sigel didn't seem to act the same around him when other Raevans were around - so he'd picked up from the pool party - but how was he to know that the rules had changed? He was certain the elder Raevan would retreat, and any flirting or stolen touches he would have wanted of the Scorpion was now no longer an option.

Forcing the small flare of temper to recede in the face of the two females on either side of him, he returned the charm into his smile and let the glow of it rest upon both of them. "There's not much of me to protect with," he answered the human's words in gentle apology, "but I'll try?" Chuckling, he lightly squeezed Cordelia. "Are you going to join the games, Stormy?" There. If Zul knew his Rivener, and he'd like to think he did (though it was brought to question now, wasn't it?), the Scorpion would be able to find somewhere else to be. The demon couldn't exactly tug him aside to talk as he had before - just as his woman had a job, so too did he. "Come on, come on, let's go take a look!" Not taking 'no' for an answer, he lead Trinity on one arm and Cordelia on the other away from the water.

En route, he noted another black-haired female that he had taken under his protection - apparently, the demon favored black hair - his pace slowing a touch but not entirely stopping as his eyes found Anita's. She didn't look happy, which naturally threatened to make the demon very unhappy if need be. Not wanting to alarm his companions, he lifted a dark brow at the store clerk in question, hoping to convey that if she needed an out, Zul was rather adept at offering such things. He had no idea where the dry sarcasm was coming from, but it felt...good. A bit of a smugness settled into his chest, and for now, he was content to let it soothe his ego. The demon would need all the help he could get to keep up the cheery attitude all day when it was already starting out less than stellar.  

[Arana Kamina]

(( Oceanside; Tag for Neon and Snoof ))

Ronan couldn't help but notice where the young woman's eyes were wandering, and he had to work to keep himself from giving an amused chuckle. However, when she gave a laugh of her own, the corner of his mouth quirked up into a small smile. His right eyebrow was also soon in motion, raising in surprise at question posed by young man who had come over.

"Pose for a picture? I'm not exactly a model," Ronan said with all honesty, "so I don't think I could really 'pose' in the way you wish," he finished with a wry grin. "You're still welcome to take my picture if you really want to."

Hearing Anita introduce herself, Ronan unconsciously turned on his charm, cocking his head slightly and giving cheerful smile. "It is a pleasure to meet you too miss Anita," he intoned, giving a small bow. Glad that his question hadn't been rude or too far off, Ronan's face lit up even more when he heard she would be taking care of a raevan of her own. "Ah, I guess I should give my congratulations to you then! It must be quite a privilege - even though I've know about the raevans for over a year, I have never really considered myself right in applying for guardianship. My own loss, I guess," he said, giving an embarrassed chuckle. It wasn't that he didn't wish to take care of a raevan - it was more that he was concerned for its health with Maili in the home.  

[Yuurei-dono]

((Petting Zoo (Ty only)))

Ty cringed internally when the tattle-tale squealed. Maybe Alex wouldn’t notice. He grinned, the little boy grin of doing something bad in order to be caught, and felt her eyes on his back. He flexed his tan muscles and showed off the strength from swimming and surfing, giving her something to look at.

When he caught her looking at him, trying to discern his face, he flashed a handsome boyish smile at her and blinked innocently. She didn’t recognize him? Well. That would change after this.

With a playful slap to the back that culminated with fingers scruffling his hair, he put on a pout and turned around to face her. ”What was that for?! And I’m not a weasel! But,” he leaned toward her with an eyebrow raised, ”I tempt you to trouble?” He looked at her slyly, trying to show that he purposely twisted her words.

Smiled mischievously at the Italian, he turned to Dayo. ”Good to meet you.” The Oz summarily leaned down, scooped Alex up into his arms cradle-style, and after making sure the coast was clear, dropped her gently into the pool of water.

”I dunno – how’s the water?” Shaking his hair back to it’s typical messy state, but not ruffled, Ty grinned and got into a defensive stance, ready to be hit or keep himself from being pulled in the water.  

[Milk and Golden Honey]

[[Petting Zoo: Fathle // Popsicle Booth: Ekundayo // Tags mainly for: Chrystali, Yuurei-dono (maybe? XD), and Ravina Loki]]

Ekundayo studied Ty with some slight mistrust before her golden eyes turned to Alex as she made introductions. When the man finally spoke to her, the Raeven didn’t have much time other than to open her mouth before his attention was squarely on Alex once more. Ekundayo let go of Alex’s hand as the man lifted her off her feet and set her in the pool water. She pulled backward, putting some distance between herself and them. Ekundayo felt her mood drop. The Raeven lingered for a moment before finally deciding that she had been, as they say, turned into the social third wheel. Ekundayo turned around, hugging herself awkwardly before looking to Fathle. He was still speaking with the older man. However, their eyes met for a moment and she could see the polite smile on her guardian’s lips diminish. He must have felt the drop in her mood. In a childish way, Ekundayo didn’t want to be here anymore. She glanced over at the other booths before floating over to Fathle. The Raeven waited for a pause in the conversation to speak.

“Faye…”
“Yes, my dear?” he asked turning toward her, a small bit of concern in his voice.
“I’m going over there.” Ekundayo raised her arm and pointed toward the popsicle booth. “Alex said there are games.”
Fathle didn’t say anything for a moment and touched her face gently. “And you are alright?” he asked quietly. Ekundayo nodded.
“Alright,” he said. “Stay where I may see you.”

She nodded once more before she propelled her half-formed body toward the popsicle booth with her feathery wings. Ekundayo noticed that this booth was guarded by a man with an interesting hair color made up of two pigments: black and green. He was currently speaking with another Raeven. Ekundayo decided to wait for the man to finish speaking with this other person before she approached him. In the meantime, she occupied herself by studying the Raeven before her. Ekundayo tilted her head. This was probably the first male Raeven she had seen up close.
 

[Kyoupiruchi]

(( Drinks booth // Drinks -> Popsicle booth ))

After serving Rivener's drink, there weren't any new orders coming in. So Lazarus quickly unpacked the last ice box and placed the few jugs of fruit juices into the refrigerator behind the counter. "I'm going to the popsicle booth to sign up okay?" The Sigel said that in a more notifying matter instead of asking for permission, he didn't wait for a nod as he was gone in a couple of seconds.

At the popsicle booth (which was just a short distance away) he noted the new lab staff Zeke, speaking to a little boy that he vaguely remember seeing somewhere, but couldn't really recall where. Waving politely at the bright-haired man, he floated straight up to the sign up papers and wrote his name down under the 'Seashell' and 'Paintball' games. He remembered the last time he played Paintball, and it was a lot of fun.

Kyou nodded absent-mindedly at Lazarus's note, he didn't even see him run off as he prepared the coconut for Melisande. Just as he was starting to loosen up the coconut flesh with a spoon, a white haired man barged in through the crowd and up to the counter. "You want what?" Kyou exclaimed in shock, did he hear the man right? A few gallons of water? His shocked gold eyes trailed behind the man then and realized the timid figure huddled behind him - Xuelian. That means this must be her guardian, which name escapes him at the moment. "Uh, sure." He said, surely there must be some reason he needed that much water. "Come back around the counter, we have a few large three gallon water bottles behind the back, just go through that white door over there." Sticking his hand in his shirt pocket, he fished out a key and handed over to the man. "The key to the door."

The scientist watches quietly as the man hurried off with his ward. Then he got back to work preparing the coconut. "Melisande?" Kyou called out to the muse that was facing the ocean as he poked a little pink umbrella into the coconut's edge. "You drink is ready." He smiled as he spoke. It was then he noticed the young lady that Melisande was conversing to, she was wearing a large hat that obscured her face at the moment. "What about you miss, do you want something?"