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 Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 6:16 am
 Brooke sat on the white sands of the beach, miserable. As a vampire, she had to say no to light and heat. As a result, she sat in what little shade she could find under a palm tree. She watched with only a hint of jealousy the playing people on the beach. Some swam, some played beach volleyball, and others got a suntan. Brooke would do none of that.
Brooke had exited her vase only recently, and she was still just getting used to the outside world. All she knew was that it was hot and the sand irritated her skin. Not even the melting ice cream she held the cone of could not cheer her. The ice cream tasted weird. Sweet and cold and sticky. Gross. But Brooke did not understand why the baking suntanners looked so good... Because eating people was ridiculus.
Brooke sighed and shifted under the palm tree, and not for the first time. She wanted to have fun with the other people, but she felt so apart...
Her ice cream finally couldn't support itself and landed with a wet plop onto her boot. Just perfect. What a nice day, Brooke thought, dripping with both ice cream and sarcasm.
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 8:11 am
 It was another beautiful day in the Seconds world, and Serenity was wandering along the beach. She had three reasons for being there: first, in hopes of seeing her childhood friend, Reno, again; second, in search of Celebor, who had disappeared days ago and not been seen by anyone except Lore, and only for a few minutes; and third, just to enjoy herself and relax for once. She had her sketchbook under her arm, as usual, and she was standing barefooted in the sand and looking around for a subject, when she noticed a new girl sitting beneath a tree, looking at a pile of ice cream on the ground.
She felt pity filling her chest as she watched the girl's expression turn very sour, and she turned and headed over to join her, hoping that she wasn't being too presumptuous.
"Excuse me," she said softly as she approached the tiny surprise, hoping that at six feet six she wasn't too scary, "I couldn't help but notice that you seem somewhat upset ... is there anything I can do to help you? Would you like another ice cream?"
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Elnara Aldrich Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 2:46 pm
Brooke looked up slowly and blinked at the new comer. She was... Very tall... Poor Brooke, still only a Surprise, had to crane her neck back to really see Serenity. "No, it's all right,' Brooke replied, quietly but firmly. "It didn't taste very good, anyhow." Brooke didn't mean to be rude about the ice cream; she just was stating what she believed to be the truth. She hadn't liked the ice cream, so why not say so?
After a pause, Brooke continued in a bored voice, "My name is Brooke. Brooke Aaron... I suppose it would be the right thing to do to invite you to sit with me? It's unbearably hot. Or, at least it is to me..." Brooke added that last sentence after glancing at the many beach-goers.
Brooke seemed to remember the large splat on her boot, and returned her stare to that. Her gaze traveled to the many towels that littered the beach, obviously wondering if she could use one to cure her problem. Brooke turned back to Serenity and she seemed to be trying to smile at her, more to be friendly than to show happiness. The smile didn't work out well; one corner of Brooke's mouth twitched upwards, but soon traveled back down to its usual dull line.
"What may I call you?" Brooke finally asked. Slowly but surely, Brooke's gaze returned to her ice cream'd boot before Serenity could answer.
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 4:33 pm
Serenity wasn't rebuffed by the little girl's reaction to her question. She lived with entirely too many people who were blunt to the point of rudeness, and she was just used to it.
"My name is Serenity," she smiled softly, "Serenity Aldrich Winters. Perhaps if you were to try a different flavour, maybe you would find one that you did like? You're quite right, it is a very warm day."
She glanced over her shoulder at the beach-goers, then turned back to Brooke and smiled. "It seems a bit crowded out there, don't you think?" she said kindly. "Though this tree isn't providing very much shade ... would you like to find somewhere a bit cooler? The water is nice, if that's what you would like, but otherwise there are thicker trees."
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Elnara Aldrich Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 5:43 pm
Brooke blinked. "I suppose a better tree would be... Better," Brooke ventured. She pointedly ignored the suggestion on ice cream; Brooke had firmly decided that ice cream was an enemy. An enemy that got your boots messed up and didn't taste very good.
Brooke stood up and dusted herself off. A small shower of sand fell back down to the beach. Brook decided there and then to do something about her boot before the ice cream stain became dry and unmanageable. The little Surprise looked up at the leaves high overhead, knew at once the impossibility of pulling one down, and promptly searched the ground. There, she found a good size of leaf, shook the sand from it, and scrubbed her boot clean. Luckily, the ice cream came off fairly easily and the boot was unharmed.
Brooke turned back to Serenity and asked politely, "Where are these trees?" Brooke did not think much of going into water-- it would be too cold. Brooke didn't try to be picky-- really, she wasn't that picky-- but she didn't force herself to be happy, either. She imagined the perfect place would be dark and secluded... Like an old castle or abandoned cave... But for now, a shady place under the trees would suffice.
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Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 11:56 am
Serenity watched as Brooke cleaned off her boots. The poor Surprise seemed quite annoyed by the ice cream spill, and she really couldn't blame her - it was always a shame to stain clothes when it could be helped. But as the ice cream disappeared from her boot, Serenity offered her a warm and encouraging smile.
When Brooke asked about the trees, Serenity raised one arm and pointed off in the direction opposite of the water. "Back there a ways, they're leafier and thicker, and they provide a lot more protection from the sun than the palm trees do."
She hesitated. "But ... it doesn't necessarily mean that it's cooler," she added softly, her expression softening with regret. "Sometimes the leaves also keep the heat closer to the ground, even though it's shadier."
She paused and looked around a bit. "But I've heard that there are some caves around here ... some big, some small ... they keep the sun out, and it's always cool in them."
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Elnara Aldrich Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 3:35 pm
Brooke's eyes brightened and a small smile crept across her face. "A cave would be... very nice," she breathed. Oh, how perfect! Brooke could hardly contain herself; one small happiness wiped away the harsh details of her bad day. "Let's go!" Brooke said cheerfully, clapping her small hands together. "I'm glad that I met with you today," Brooke added kindly. Hope and a promised pleasure had a way of lifting Brooke like a balloon. Still, the girl was quiet, but at least she wasn't a pessamist.
Brooke shuffled out from the cover of the tree and frowned. Her skin felt irritated in the sun, and her eyes were itchy. "Let's hurry," Brooke told Serenity with distaste. The vampiric Surprise skip-hopped out onto the hot sand. She was so uncomfortable there that it was very nearly painful. Brooke glanced back at Serenity, smile long gone, and plodded in the general direction of a cave. In light of the grueling task, Brooke's spirits dropped to an all-time low. She managed to not grumble, though, for she new how childish and annoying that was.
Brooke tried shading her eyes with her hand, but that made her arm feel as if it were on fire. If she stooped, her exposed back felt hot. If she walked normally, she could feel the top of her head and face baking. Altogether, Brooke decided that the beach was not for her.
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 4:56 pm
Serenity was pleased at the little Surprise's obvious happiness at the news that there were caves nearby, and she rose swiftly to her feet to lead the way. But when she saw that Brooke was very very quickly getting sunburned - or worse, it looked like - her eyes grew wide with panic.
"We have to get you out of the sun," she murmured, reaching into the bag that hung at her hip and pulling out her sketch portfolio. She opened it up to double its size and held it above Brooke as she ran so that she would be protected from the sun's apparently deadly rays.
"Is this better?" she asked anxiously, wondering what was wrong with the little girl. She had never seen anyone burn so quickly before - and she couldn't help but wonder what sort of Second Brooke was. After all, Serenity knew full well that just because they had a human vase, that didn't mean they were necessarily human. She after all had two elven siblings, plus a demonic mer brother - things were not always as they seemed.
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Elnara Aldrich Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 2:57 pm
"Yeah, a little," Brooke mumbled. She was embarrassed at how apparently weak she was. Still, her once-red skin was slowly returning to its usual pale color. Brooke had to wonder at herself; she seemed to be the only one affected by the sun in such a way. Sure, there were plenty of beach-goers with sunburns, but none seemed to be as serious and none appeared so quickly. On top of that, their burns didn't disappear once they entered the shade to get some lemonade and ice cream.
Brooke firmly decided that she wasn't human. She wasn't worried by this, for she knew of a few non-human Seconds. Still, she wished that she knew what she was. Maybe I'm a mutant, she mused. Like part human, part... I dunno... Fish. No, that'd be a mermaid, right? Brooke plodded on, glad to have Serenity guiding her to the relief of the caves. She could riddle out her species some other day...
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 3:10 pm
Serenity's eyes were filled with nothing but concern as she guided Brooke in the direction of the caves, making sure that she was blocking any sun from reaching the apparently delicate surprise at all.
But she was amazed to see how quickly the girl's skin was healing itself.
"That's amazing," she breathed as they reached the first of the caves. "I've never seen anyone heal themselves like that ... not without using magic of a sort ..."
She led Brooke into the safety of the cave and put her portfolio away again. "Are you magic?"
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Elnara Aldrich Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 4:36 pm
Brooke sighed in relief as the cool and dark cave soothed her, both in mind and body. The cave felt slightly damp, but not uncomfortably so. It was very nice, especially after a hot day on the beach. Brooke inhaled the cool air, feeling herself calm down. After blinking only thrice, her eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the cave, and she noticed that she could actually see better in the dark than she had in the light, where the sun had threatened to blind her.
Brooke turned to Serenity finally to answer her question. "I don't think I am." Brooke blinked. Her skin and eyes felt fine, better than ever, in fact, when they had been irritated and scratchy minutes before. "If I can use magic, I don't mean to... It feels great in here, though, doesn't it?" Brooke smiled nicely, and two small fangs poked out, hardly noticeable. Suddenly they disappeared as Brooke spoke again. "What's that thing over there?" she asked curiously. She was pointing to a stalagmite that could just barely be made out in the gloom, or at least it was so for human eyes. To Brooke, it showed up quite clearly, for it was not all that far, despite how dark it looked there verses the mouth of the cave.
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 8:32 pm
Serenity smiled and tucked her portfolio back into her bag.
"Well, we all have the ability to use magic, so perhaps it's innate," she murmured thoughtfully.
She wasn't sure she agreed with Brooke about her comment about the cave, though. It was cold in there, and wet, and she was quite uncomfortable in areas like that. Did she think it felt great in there? No she didn't. But she was too polite to contradict Brooke, and so she just remained silent.
When Brooke pointed out into the cave, she turned to look at whatever it was she was pointing at, but she couldn't see anything in the blackness.
"Um ..."
She blinked and tried to look again.
"I ... don't see anything," she admitted softly, her face growing warm.
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Elnara Aldrich Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 6:12 am
Brooke was caught by surprise. "Y-you don't see it?" she asked. "It's right there, though... A big rock-thing on the ceiling..." Brooke glanced at Serenity, then back at the formation deeper in the cave. "Let's get closer," Brooke suggested, not knowing that Serenity probably would not enjoy the prospect of going further in the darkness. "You will probably see it better up close!"
Brooke smiled, and this time only one fang appeared, gently poking past one of Brooke's lips. She didn't seem to notice this, and she just hopped down to a lower ledge and walked towards the stalagtite, unhindered by the darkness or the ruts and rocks in her path. "Wow, it's great in here!" Brooke called out, her voice echoing round and round the cave. She had just seen a collection of stalagmites, stalagtites, and even a few thin straws. (Straws appear when a stalagmite and stalagtite meet, forming a hollow column.) Brooke looked back to see if Serenity was following.
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Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 6:41 am
Serenity was flustered when Brooke suggested that they go further in, but she tried her best to follow her. It was slow going for her - despite the fact that she was so tall and had a long stride. There was so much for her to trip over, to stumble against, and she didn't want to break anything in her bag - she had far too many fragile things in there, not to mention her collection of paintings and drawings.
"It's so dark in here," she murmured softly. "I can't see a thing ..."
Suddenly she remembered her flashlight in her bag, and she opened it up and rummaged around until she found it and pulled it out. Smiling, she flicked it on and shone it around.
"There," she smiled. "Much better. Now, what was it you wanted to show me?"
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Elnara Aldrich Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 2:14 pm
Brooke shielded her eyes from the flashlight, blinking away the spots that flashed in front of her eyes even after brooke had looked away. Eventually her eyes adjusted, and Brooke pointed to the stalagtite on the ceiling. "It's dripping," she declared. And, indeed, it was. Brooke walked underneath it and looked up, promptly earning herself a cave's "kiss" by way of a drop hitting her forehead. Brooke moved out of the way, and the water returned to dripping on the floor.
"There are some on the floor, too," Brooke observed. "And some of them connected! What are they called? Should we go deeper? Maybe there are even bigger rock-things deeper inside!" For the first time, Brooke looked excited and curious. "What do you have all in that bag?" Brooke added, starting to warm up to Serenity.
Brooke's eyes seemed to draw her eyes in every direction, even as she spoke. One minute, she'd be admiring a bunch of thin straws, the next she'd look at a stalagtite that was almost to the floor. Then they were drawn to a place where they stayed; the gaping hole that led further into the cave. There were stalagtites and stalagmites that were nearly connected all around the rim, so it looked as if it went right down the throat of a monster...
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