In the Water (8 ) : The Destiny City Reservoir is open year round but without fail always gets the most attention in the summer. It's a nice escape from the big city; it’s a five minute drive outside of the Eastern side of town and features clear water and sandy beaches--although, the sand here is notorious for squeaking when you step on it. It’s a hot spot for all fun summer activities, but recently something strange has been happening under the water. Sometimes, people feel like something is grabbing their ankle, even if they are just wading in the shallow end. In the deeper parts of the water, it gets a little more intense: something has been said to grab onto ankles and pull. People have been warned about dangerous pranks, but so far no one has been caught. In the shallow end, anyone unfortunate enough to be targeted may feel themselves being knocked off their feet and tugged into the water; anyone in deep water may feel a firm grip on their ankle, tugging them lower and lower. Somehow, anyone it targets is freed--either by wriggling and fighting, or because someone intervenes and pulls the would-be victim up. No one has drowned in the lake. Yet. It's impossible to see who, or what, is doing this, but it usually gives up after one failed attempt. Usually.
Of everything that had happened in the past- God, probably the entire past year- this was certainly among the most bizarre. Basyl twisted a lock of hair tightly around his finger, gaze diverted adamantly out across the water as, get this, Nataniel's family unpacked their car and began to situate everything out on the sand.
Nat had invited him and picked him up on his death trap motorcycle and driven them out here, but Basyl hadn't expected Nataniel's parents to be involved.
Basyl could speculate wildly over the exact reason for the occurrence- and he absolutely would. Were they bribing Nataniel to join them? He knew Mikali had a way of offering funding if her demands were met. In pretty much every conversation he'd had with the other man, his parents had only ever come up sparingly (and mostly in complaint). Basyl knew Nat had moved back in with them after he'd finished school, and he'd heard tales of Nat's mother's passive-aggressive coercion. Since they lived together they must do some things together? And if Nat had made that conscious choice to live with them, he must not hate them?
It shouldn't even be too strange that people would take a day off with their family. Pretty much everyone did it. Even Basyl tried to make time to have dinner with his parents as often as he could... It was just so strange because it was Nat, and he mentioned his family so infrequently and usually negatively when he did that it was hard to imagine him doing activities with them.
Had Nataniel talked about him to his family at all? The thought made red tint Basyl's cheeks, and his magenta gaze darted off abruptly toward the group again. Cervant- Ellian didn't actually know him-
Probably?
Ellian probably didn't know who he was (unless Nataniel had told him. Would he do that? No, right? Everything was so uncertain), so it wasn't like he had any reason to be out here besides Nataniel... Everything they knew about him could only come from Nat, and if Nat said anything about Basyl, it was probably just mentioning that he would be spending the night at his place.
So at least they probably, maybe weren't bigots. That was good?
Were they Negaverse?
Basyl's fingers pinched and tugged at the strand of hair, and an uncomfortable sound slipped out of him. No, surely? That would be totally absurd. It was probably just coincidence that both Natanial and Ellian were, but it would be wildly unlikely for it to also involve his parents- Or would it be? Both Rakovanite and Cervantite had seemed well-adjusted with their roles when Narcissus had met them last Halloween... It could be because they were prepared for it...
But probably not. He should bank on probably not.
He really just needed to relax. It wasn't even that odd of a situation, and Nataniel's parents seemed nice! Friendly, even. And decidedly not opposed to meeting him- So Nataniel must have said something about Basyl to them. They'd greeted him too warmly to be otherwise. But they could just be nice.
Then where had Nat gotten all of his ire from..?
Look, it wasn't important right now. Basyl had naturally asked if they'd needed help unloading anything. They'd given him a folding chair and told him to set up somewhere, so he had. But that brief reprieve was over. He would only get answers to any of his concerns if he stuck around and sought them out. He could do this.
Basyl nodded firmly to himself and turned to look back toward the parking lot to where Nataniel and his parents and brother were closing up the car and preparing to head onto the sand after him. He trotted up that way, just in case he could offer an extra hand.
