Reuben was quite happy with the day's events. Sam was here, and all was well. He watched as more and more raevan and their guardians arrived.
"It's great to see you, too! And thank you so much. He's amazing; even though he's a little shy...and a bit awkward. But I wouldn't have him any other way. It's already been about three and a half months since he was born. Business has been great, though. Not a lot of new things happening over all. What about for you?" he questioned with a smile, staring at his charge as he interacted with a few people here and there. He was just happy to be there, and that Ryder was actually getting to know some new people.
Reuben took a moment to listen to the woman and continue looking around. "Of course, whenever you want to know anything, just ask! Obviously, I'm still new to this whole parenting thing; but I've loved getting to know him. He's like an actual person already. One thing I must say is that raevan learn very quickly. He's already reading novels and things as well as having a strangely strong grasp on the English language. It's crazy."
It was then that he heard Dani call for more players. A large grin grew upon his face. This was his opportunity to get Ryder into the fray! Turning his attention back to Samael, he asked, "Would you be down to play? I don't know if you've ever met Dani, but she's trying to get a game going. If you're down, we should totally join! I'll go grab Ryder and head out there!"
As more and more people encroached upon him, the frei became more and more uncomfortable. Oh how he already wished to go home. Why did Reuben bring him here? He could feel the tugging of Alice on his mind; begging to come out and play. Ryder couldn't help but keep her hidden; at least for now. There was no need to unleash her. He had promised Reuben he'd try and control her as best he could.
Reuben began to approach and inside, Ryder felt relief.
"Hello everyone! I'm Reuben, Ryder's guardian!" he began with a large smile, adjusting his glasses on his face and noticing a friendly face in Fisher out of the bunch. "Hello there, stranger! How've you been?" he asked with a smirk, holding out his hand to him and then to the others in the area.
As quick as he had jogged over, he was ready to head on out to the beach. But before he did anything, the tarotist looked into the playpen with shock. "What on earth are these things?" he muttered under his breath.
Ryder followed suit by eyeing the pen once more, his face becoming more and more red by the minute.
"Hey, Ryder, come join me. Lets go play on the beach, alright? I'm going to play some beach volleyball with Dani; remember her?" he said, pointing out Dani in the crowd of people.
The frei followed his guardian's finger and simply nodded. Anything would be better than being around all of these strangers right now. He just felt so out of place. The only one he knew was LuLu, and though she was nice, he just didn't feel comfortable speaking up when she was offering her ears to this other frei to touch. She had offered that to him upon their last meeting at the ice cream shop, but he still hadn't even taken the time to perfect his powers.
"It...was nice meeting you all," the frei uttered awkwardly before floating off behind his guardian. At least Dani had offered to make a book club meeting; he liked that a bit.
With that, the two began to make their way towards the beach.
"It's um. Not fun, really. It hurts when you touch a sunburn and then your skin starts to peel..." There were patches on his shoulder where a few scraps of an old sunburn could still be seen, but ever since his first encounter with a sunburn Nell had made sure that he was never far away from a bottle of sunscreen.
At Aadi's question, Dair turned to look at the water, pushing his sunglasses up on his forehead to get a better, unobstructed view of the ocean. He frowned, eyes squinting slightly as if trying to get his vision to focus. "Probably," he eventually concluded, letting the sunglasses drop back down on his nose with a shrug. "What happens with you and water? If you don't mind me asking."
-----
"Hah, well I can definitely help out with getting it hung up!" There were some downsides to being taller than average, but she rarely had to find any aid to put anything up on tall shelves. "And even if we lose, we'll work up an appetite so we can put a good dent in all that food they brought out." She didn't necessarily need any help in that department, but that was beyond the point.
A cheery wave and a smile was given to the few people that started to drift towards them before she gestured for them to follow her ad Dani towards the impromptu volleyball court. As she followed behind Dani she kicked off her sandals, hopping quickly from one foot to the next as she got used to walking on the hot sand as she shoved her shoes in her bag. The dress was also not a good choice for playing volleyball in, but she had thankfully had the foresight to put on her bathing suit underneath.
Dani was right, it was instinctive for Sven's head to snap when he heard someone call out! For a second, he considered politely declining the offer, but then again, when was the last time he worked out? Oh wow, no, he didn't have a good answer for that. That, and what better way to actually get to know those here then putting yourself out when called?
Alright, okay. Time to show off how bad he was at hand to eye coordination!
"I'll be over in a second!" Sven laughed out agreeably, turning to those he had been with. He didn't want to leave before hearing from Isobel. It seemed rude to pull away before hearing what her advice was.
derivative
Sven will be over once Isobel gives their advice, if that's okay!
Tasinei
Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2017 12:31 pm
(( Pohl | Chimera Playpen ))
He smiled—with teeth!—and reached out to gently run his fingers along the edge of one of LuLu's ears, folding his hands once he was done.
"I am Pohl Gridell. It's very nice to—"
His head whipped toward where Dani was shouting, wings fluttering faster at the sudden excitement. "Beach volleyball," he said quietly. Pohl pushed the two concepts together in his mind, nodding at the result. It sounded like fun, but at the same time, completely not for him.
"Are you going to play?"
shushida
(( Fisher | Food Tables -> Chimera Playpen ))
Having dropped off the snacks he had brought, Fisher made his way back to the chimeras just in time to catch Reuben as he angled for the beach.
"Hey, long time no see! I'm doing well." He shook the other man's hand. "We should meet up sometime. Introduce the raevans." Had he known Ryder was Reuben's, he would have tried to get Pohl to stop being weird for five minutes. As they wandered away to play volleyball, Fisher waved, then turned his attention back to his charge. It seemed like everything was all right for now, but he was prepared to step in if things got weird.
brolis
Smerdle
Scamp
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FallenSiren
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2017 2:37 pm
[ Solo & Raz --> BBQ stand ]
Solo and Raz had arrived at the Beach BBQ together a little later than expected. Originally, they would have arrived just in time, but SOMEONE Raz decided to bring some drinks with her JUST because she saw they were on sale. So off they went, and in they come with a six pack of canned lemonade. Solo had wondered if the canned drinks were actually lemonade coolers, but Raz reassured him again AND again that they were not alcoholic.
He didn’t stop staring at the drinks suspiciously even after they had arrived. The raevan huffed a little at his guardian’s behavior and scanned the area for anyone they might know. People were scattered about, but there were obviously people the two had met prior.
The question was: who do they go to first?
“I think I see Vesna, Lorenzo, and Zeke over there.” He commented while squinting at the sunlight. After the one misadventure, the monochrome Raevan had learned to roll up his sleeves to at least not roast any more than necessary. The umbrella was a last resort apparently. “Do you want to g—“
Well, he would have suggest they go over, but Raz was already cracking a freezing can of lemonade from its restrained friends, and on her way there. The pink haired woman wasted no time in her sneaking up on her unfortunate victim, and…
SHOVE. The freezing can was pressed into the side of Zeke’s face, abruptly, and everyone was greeted with the wicked grin on Raz’s face that was probably as blinding as the god forsaken sun.
“SURPRISE!”
There was absolutely no regret on Raz’s face. Solo, on the other hand, clearly stopped to smack his hand into his own face.
Ravina Loki
kotaline
Cynnybun
kyoupi
Rapidashtrainer
Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2017 5:19 pm
((LuLu -> Chimera Playpen -> Beach; watching the volleyball game ))
Phol did a very good job of following her words. He provided her with a very pleasant pat. She returned his smile. "I am LuLu." The rabbit followed his gaze to the crowd of people gathering on the sand. She shook her head."I will sit this one out."The sigel noticed his wings flapping quickly."Go on ahead though. I will watch."
Smerdle
shushida
Indulgent Bunny
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derivative
Anxious Prophet
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2017 6:49 pm
(( Dani → Beach | BEACH BALL BABES! Feel free to jump in whenever guys, even if you aren't tagged. C: ))
To Dani's immense satisfaction, people began to approach for a game without any more prompting. With Nell taking care of the height portion of getting the net set up (and profuse thanks on Dani's part for that) and Dani focusing on getting the beach ball inflated, it didn't take long at all for them to be ready to play.
She was delighted to see that a pair of people approaching were familiar to her, and turning to Nell, tossed her the inflated beach ball. "You're captain of the other team! I'll be right back, okay?"
Reuben and Ryder were coming over anyway, so it wasn't like she'd have far to go. Crossing to her beach bag, she crouched down and dug around until she got to the bottom, pulling a well-loved copy of The Princess Bride from underneath her beach towel and leaving it on top. She was about to take it over to them, but decided that it was better to give that to Ryder at the end of the day -- she had the idea he'd settle down to start reading it if she gave him a chance, and instead, shrugged off her floral print and folded it carefully to hide the book.
"Ryder, Reuben! I'm glad to see you." Jogging over, Dani grinned at them both, eyebrows raised. "Are you going to play beach ball with us? I hope so," she added, glancing between the two of them as though making a very serious choice. "Because I totally want you on my team, Ryder."
She remembered what Reuben had said about socialization being a work in progress for Ryder, and fisted her hands on her hips, nodding decisively. "What do you think? Want to partner up for a game?"
subobo
brolis
Yushika
Ebony Shade
Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2017 5:20 am
((Aadi -> Beach | Dair, Delia))
"That," he said slowly, as if processing some great concept. "-seems highly inconvenient. I hope you are protected enough for today. There are some beach umbrellas about." He pointed to Lorenzo's which had been conveniently abandoned. This also explained why he'd heard Jannisari grumble about the sun when she thought he wasn't listening. (Joke was on her; Aadi was always listening.)
Aadhira flicked his ribbons about lazily. "For Jannisari, I think she is concerned most with the fact that I haven't legs to swim with." He shrugged. "I still want to, though. Maybe if I found someone to go with. Or a floaty donut." Was that what those were called?
At all the commotion going on nearby, Adrian couldn't help but look up from his napping position and peek those baby blues out from under his sunglasses. Somewhat intrigued, the Brit replaced his glasses and stood to his full height of 6'1" and gave a good stretch before sauntering over. He wasn't really familiar with most present, but the elder gent definitely wasn't the shy type, especially around the ladies. Seeing as one had trotted off to greet another, one of whom he did recognize and managed a smile and wave to Reuben (was that his Raevan?), Adrian took a spot next to Nell.
Flashing a smile and giving a slight bow, he greeted the dark and fit woman. "Wonderful weather we're having today. I'm Adrian Shade, Cordelia's grandfather and acting guardian." He pointed towards the smokey girl not too far off in the distance. "And you are?"
Cordelia nodded about the pains of sunburn. Although she had never experienced it herself, she had seen the aftermath of it on others and no one ever looked happy about it, so she hoped that if she kept up with the sunscreen she'd be fine. At Dair's question, the snake gave a thoughtful look before settling on a mischievous grin. "Well...I just go...POOF!" And with that the girl's form burst into smoke momentarily before quickly reforming on the other side of Aadi. In a fit of smokey laughter, Delia had to lean on the peacock Frei slight for a moment. "Oh man, you should have seen the look on your guy's faces. Priceless."
After another moment of happy snickering, the Basilisk composed herself. "Seriously though, something like that does happen and I lose all my energy. Just like sunburn, it is also not fun. So I tend to stay clear of large bodies of water as much as possible." Giving Aadi a pat on his shoulder, "So unfortunately I can't go in the water with you, but I can watch. And I think your guardian is just being overprotective. I've heard and seen lots of Raevans go swimming before and nothing's happened to them. Well unless you're like me, but that's a rare case." She gave a big smile of encouragement and winked playfully, "Though a floaty donut couldn't hurt."
The Semblance of Unity
Subobo
derivative
Brolis
Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2017 4:23 pm
((Diana -> Heck Yea Beach Ball))
Finishing her fruit, Diana took a moment to take off her skirt and hide it under her cooler before meandering her way down to the group amassing for beach ball. Conversation had died down for her and, honestly, was there a better way to meet people? Diana certainly didn't think so.
She stopped a few paces from the group, stretching her arms above her head with a grin. "Did I hear something about a game?"
As Reuben made his way quickly over to the makeshift volleyball court, he came to Dani, the very enthusiastic woman they met in the parking lot earlier that month. "Definitely going to play! I'll meet you over there," he said with a smile, turning to listen to her speak to Ryder before scurrying off over to the net.
It was then that he noticed Adrian, the man with the troubled frei. "Adrian! Hey! How're you doing?! How's Delia holding up? Any word from your daughter?" he questioned as he approached, offering the man a hand.
Turning his attention to Nell who was nearby, he smiled. "Hello, I'm Reuben. I don't think we've met," he stated with an outstretched hand.
Looking back at Ryder straggling to make it over, he chuckled softly. "Oh, and that is Ryder, my frei," he said, offering the information to anyone around who may be listening.
Ryder, who was slowly making his way over was stopped by Dani, the nice woman who offered to create the book club. His face flushed a bit when she told him she wanted him on her team. "I...I guess I could try. But I don't know how to play. I'm willing to give it a shot though," he admitted awkwardly, more-so because he didn't want to be rude to this nice woman who was offering to discuss books with him in the future; but also because he promised Reuben he'd try and have fun and be more "outgoing" -- whatever that meant. Though in all honesty, he just wanted to go sit in the corner and read. He didn't care for the heat, the sun, or anything that was really going on right now...but he couldn't tell anyone that.
Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2017 9:25 pm
(( Eden : BBQ Stand -> Vesna, Zeke, Xiu, Lazarus | Ian : Food Table -> Lorenzo, Jannisari ))
Eden finally let go of Vesna and swept a hand through her hair as her friend introduced the others in the group, pulling a cheeky pose when Zeke pretended to take their picture. "Aw, thanks! Nice to meet you guys!" Her eyes stretched wide in wonder as she looked at Xiu and Lazarus and she crossed her arms. "Oh man, I wish I had legs! It's so hard to make a good outfit without them," she huffed.
The fantastical snippet of story she caught from Xiu made her brows shoot up and she turned to Vesna with a giggle. "Wait, you gave your DS to a death god? And that's what they wanted?" That had to be fake!
--------------------------
Ian cast a careful glance over toward Eden by the barbeque before his attention was drawn back by Lorenzo and Jannisari. He realized he probably hadn't addressed her properly, leaving out her title, but bringing it up would only make it more awkward. She hadn't appeared to have noticed, so maybe it was fine? Probably...
"Oh, definitely. Eden barely let me make sure she had sunscreen before she was off," he said with a laugh. He couldn't remember ever having that much energy. But it was good to see her having fun; she'd been a bit distant with him lately and her questions had become few and far between. She was learning on her own now of course, but he almost missed it.
"We've been well! Business has been pretty good with all the holidays lately, and Eden's been busy with her Instagram and Youtube stuff. How about all of you?" He glanced between Lorenzo and Jannisari. "It's almost hard to believe they're all over a year old now!"
He turned to look at Yves when Lorenzo introduced him and his brows raised in recognition. "Oh! We've met, actually-- at the last Lab gathering, we were teamed together." He smiled warmly. "Nice to see you again."
As the group began to gather for volleyball Sven pulled himself together, giving a friendly nod to the group he had been with before being invited over. Cracking his knuckles, he decided it was time he actually begin the process of pretending he'd be any help in the volleyball game, quirking a small smile as he rolled up his sleeves.
"I'll try and keep up." He faintly joked, nudging his shoes off and gently setting them aside in the sand.
"It is that," Dair agreed seriously with a nod of his head. While it was an unpleasant experience all around, the worst part was Nell tut-tutting over him until the burn healed and started peeling. He did give the umbrella a longing look, but considering the large array of things already underneath it, he figured there was already someone who had claimed that one.
You could probably just...float out of the water if you need to?" He didn't sound too convinced about that, though, and gave the ocean a second, more considering look. Until Cordelia turned into a cloud of smoke, that is. His eyebrows shot up over the rims of his sunglasses, his expression clearly one of shock as the other raevan succumbed to a fit of laughter at their surprise. But a smile slowly grew on his face as she regained her composure. Well that was neat.
---
Nell returned Adrian's smile and attempted a small curtsy, before pointing to the same spot that he had, albeit a few inches to the side. "Sure is! Glad it didn't decide to rain today! I'm Nell, I try to keep track of Dair over there. Thinking of joining in the game?" There was a bit of a twinkle in her eye when she caught the ball, a hint of a competitive side she usually tried to keep hidden peeking out.
"Nice to meet you all! I'm Nell, I'll have to pull Dair over here later for a proper introduction, yeah?" She beamed at both Reuben and Ryder, tucking the ball under an arm while she returned his handshake. "And I'm sure you'll do great!"
derivative
Ebony Shade
The Semblance of Unity
Brolis
Yushika
Screaming_0ctopus
Subobo
Spooky Codger
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The Semblance of Unity
Predestined Victim
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 7:33 pm
((Aadi -> Beach // Dair & Delia))
"That's," he said, quite seriously. "-a fantastic skill, Cordelia. I bet you're full of surprises of all sorts, aren't you?" He reached up to pat her hand, grinning at her. "I think floating over the water might ruin the point of swimming, Dair." He grew thoughtful for a moment, reaching up to run his hand through his long hair.
"I don't have a floating donut. I don't suppose either of you could help me-" There was a very small pause. "-acquire one?"
