Yankee

Introduction

Well if you enjoy play by post roleplaying, you'll hopefully have a fun time here! Welcome!

Qualia: Mission Sub Rosa

EE 87, May 5 | Night
^{_______________________}
The dinner at Jeanne’s residence concluded quickly. Everyone had their theories and their plans, and they laid them out to each other as they made to leave. Inti refrained, as he did not have a plan. Not yet at least. In a way his plan was to think of a plan. He left the dorm with an inkling that some of the French woman's “defense force” were still keeping some things to themselves, bidding Nazca and Ryuuko good luck on their outing.

When he returned to his own dorm he found his roommate was not where the Abya Yalan had left him. Well, with no Kalil to distract him, Inti didn’t have much more to do than prepare to turn in for the night. Tomorrow I’ll pick up some books or something. From the large patio window he could see the fog rolling in just after the evening bell tolled and the locks clicked shut. Without ceremony Inti stripped out of his day clothes in what would be part of his new nightly routine for the foreseeable future: disrobe, wash, attach the monitoring equipment, then tuck in.

Inti laid on his back, staring up at the high ceiling and ruminating on the mystery surrounding Jeanne’s night out. Maybe I should have gone with them, he thought. Seeing the conditions after curfew would most likely help to wrap the brain around some of the events. Then again, it was a curfew, and the more of them outside after it the more likely they were to be caught. That wouldn’t help the case at all. Then again again, no risks meant no new clues, right?

"Haaaaa…" Inti heaved a sigh and closed his eyes. Talking it over with his family would be good, then he’d jump right into tomorrow with an open mind and a plan of action. Eventually he relaxed and his consciousness escaped his physical body, and when next he awoke it was in familiar white.

Musquy

Inti.

The sound of his name was warm and inviting.

Illapa. Inti smiled, going right over to sit by his elder brother. Not everyone visited this place every night, but he had expected to meet at least one of his brethren. At the moment that one was Illapa, but the night was still young.

How goes the second day? The young man asked with a hint of amusement. It was clear that Inti wanted to talk about something. The teachings of another culture, some kind of sophisticated art, or perhaps something as simple as—

One of the Polymaths burnt down a library.

...??

Inti jumped right into a full explanation. Of waking up to a message, the announcement that morning, Jeanne's explanation of events, the clues everyone had found, the various people involved and his own thoughts about the case. By the end he didn't feel closer to solving any part of the mystery. What do you think? he asked.

Hmm. Illapa crossed his arms and lowered his head in thought. Well, what are you trying to accomplish Inti?

What do you mean?

You said she was guilty and admitted as much. Inti nodded. So finding these other persons and the truth of what happened would do little to clear her name in the first place.

Might change her sentence, Inti suggested. He dropped his chin into his hand. Besides, I'm really curious about it all now. And...

And...?

And well I'm supposed to get my name out there, right? Helping her seems like a good way. Apparently Jeanne's reputation far preceded her, but Inti had found that was the case with many of the Polymaths on the island. Illapa shrugged as if to say 'if you insist,' but Inti wasn't satisfied with being brushed off.

Come on Illapa! If it was you, what would you do?

It's not me.

Illapa...

Why was it so hard to get his elder brother's opinion? Soon enough the two were joined by others, and though they were more willing to help each of the Inca homunculi that entered the shared dreamscape seemed to take a cue from Illapa. He was, after all, one of the oldest among them, and his stance seemed to be wanting Inti to come to a conclusion himself. Which Inti was fine with, but in such an unfamiliar situation was it really so bad to want advice from those he trusted?

Once more he went over everything. His siblings discussed it curiously, but the conversation went more or less how it had with just Inti and Illapa. Tonight Ch'aska was present, and though usually Inti appreciated her keen insight it seemed she wasn't in the best of moods.

Out of all of us you're the one the Sapa Inca let go, so you're representing all of Tawantinsuyu, Inti. Shouldn't you be smarter than this?

What is that supposed to mean? Inti narrowed his eyes at Ch'aska, a little hurt, and in return she opened her mouth to snap something else at him until she was interrupted by their brother putting his hands on both of their shoulders.

Now now. Inti, can you show us the clues again? Pikiru said. After a moment Inti obliged, and the image of the defense force's bulletin board was pulled up again. The memory of the dinner and all of the words exchanged passed over the Inca present. Pikiru nodded. Remember we are only seeing and hearing the same things as you. I think the help we can give you is limited. But there are some things we can do. Like this, he pointed to the bullet in the image.

One of the others, Amaru, leaned forward where she had been standing with her arms crossed. You're saying you recognize it?

Yes. It's for a particular type of firearm. A Ruthridge, if I'm not mistaken.

Show it to me?

Pikiru waved his fingers as though he were conjuring magic, though the motion was ultimately unnecessary. Alongside the vision from Inti's mind appeared the imagine of a gun, allegedly one which used the type of bullets that had been fired at Jeanne that night. It was a small sized pistol, with some kind of mechanism around the grip.

Are you sure?

Quite.

Asking us for help and then having the nerve to second guess us... Ch'aska hissed quietly. Beside her, Axo wrapped an arm around her and gave Ch'aska a little shake to her to be silent.

I'll explain some about it, and hopefully that information will be useful.

It will be, Inti promised. If I find the same magnetic field given off by someone and they've got that gun, then we've pretty much found the shooter!

Alright, so he had some semblance of a plan now, that was good. He listed to Pikiru's description about the gun, it's model and how it functioned, and even some brief history about it. Others chimed in with their thoughts, but nothing major. Inti was looking forward to getting some perspective on what they thought of some of the other clues, but the conversation was cut short by Ekeko. He slung his arm around Inti's shoulders and pulled him away slightly from the rest of his siblings.

Okay Inti! Time to put that brain to yours to work, okay? Go on and get out of here!

Wait, but -

Nope! Come on, you can't rely on us for everything!

But I just wanted to - !

Bye!

Led by Ekeko, his siblings realized what he had planned and joined in. They smiled to show they meant nothing by it, and then shoved Inti forcefully backward. Being ejected out of the shared space was something Inti hadn't even thought was possible, which made experiencing it all the more strange. He felt a lurch in the pit of his stomach, a pressure in his head, and then suddenly the familiar white and the faces of his 'family' were sucked away and transformed into static. He flailed his limbs as if he was falling before his body and his mind became realigned, and then he slammed back into the waking world.

EE 87, May 6 | Morning
^{__________________________}
Consciousness came all too quickly. Inti awoke on his back, staring up at the plain white ceiling. He let out a long and indignant sigh through his nostrils, choosing to lie still for a few more minutes. Stupid siblings! He'd all but clung to sleep until they ganged up on him and forced him out, and now we was awake earlier than normal. The sun had yet to rise, though from the window in his room Inti could see the first rays of light trying to push past the horizon.

The plan for the day was to try and make more headway on the investigation. It seemed all of his peers were much more familiar with detective work, but Inti couldn't simply sit back and let them take care of everything. After reconvening with the others he'd had to get some advice before heading out. Idly he wondered how Nazca and Ryuuko's post-curfew investigation had gone. Or was still going, considering the morning siren wouldn't sound for a little while yet.

Inti scrubbed a head over his face. He should probably stay hooked up to the monitoring equipment until the usual time, but he wouldn't able to fall back asleep. Nor did he want to, for various reasons. After a few moments of deliberating internally, Inti pushed himself up.

Might as well try and do something productive! He padded to the wide glass doors of the dorm that lead out to the ocean, but when he tried the door he found them stuck tight. Right, the locks. By now the fog had mostly dissipated, but until curfew was actually over he was confined inside. So he had to think of a plan B. It was the dawn of the third day for students in Bermuda, so the dorm wasn't very lived in. There was nothing to clean up, in other words. Snooping around his roommate's quarters would probably be frowned upon. He turned and made his way to the large open space in the center of the apartment where a circle of chairs and couches sat. Inti dropped down into one, pulling his legs up and sitting with them crossed beneath him. He crossed his arms to match and let his head fall over the back rest. Gathering his thoughts, he considered the dream once more, as it was the only thing he could think to do at the moment.

Thanks to his siblings - Namely Pikiru, Inti thought - he had a starting point. Pikiru told him that the model of gun that used those bullets was mainly used by aristocratic types. It was an Occidental weapon of British design, made to be concealed in a coat sleeve and the pop out quickly to defend oneself from danger. Knowing all of that, did it mean that the gunman who had fired at Jeanne (or around her as was Inti's theory) a British aristocrat? Probably not. But he could narrow his broad search slightly, and focus on if there were any suspect magnetic fields around the sleeves. He'd memorized the look of the cartridge's field, so he would easily be able to spot a similar one, and distinguish it from other concealed items.

...and maybe he'd keep an eye out for stereotypical culprits as well.

As soon as the locks clicked open Inti was out the door. The tassels of his colorful poncho fluttered as he jogged. There hadn't been any new messages for directives, so his plans were up to him. Like the prior morning, his first stop would be getting some food into him. The second would be Nazca and Jeanne's dorm to follow up with the others. He'd scooped up the newspaper that had been deposited on his own dorm's front steps, but it stayed tucked under his arm until he drew near to his destination. Other early risers were outside seeking colleagues to gossip with, and by the time Inti made it to the quaint mess hall he'd visited yesterday, he felt he'd already read the paper several times over just by hearing passing conversations. Still, it didn't stop him from cracking the newspaper open and seeing for himself.

It looks like a lot of stuff happened last night, he thought to himself, reading while he ate breakfast. There were damage reports in various parts of the island. And cases of amnesia as well... in people that were out after curfew? That was curious. According to the article, people that lost consciousness while out in the mist woke up with few or no memories of the night's events. Were they being concussed?? As he continued reading, something else caught Inti's attention. "Hmm?"

It was a description of one of the incident sites, where it was mentioned that motionless clockwork birds had been found. That put Nazca at the scene. Inti was looking forward to the results of their overnight investigation, so he finished up the meal and went to rendezvous with Jeanne's defense force.

People that he passed still chatted about the news, both in and outside of Bermuda, but the talk died down as students began their own plans for the day. Eventually Inti arrived at the Inca-styled apartments. They looked the same in the daylight as they had in the evening, though there was one unusual difference that only became apparent when he was nearly on the doorstep. It was small, but recognizable to Inti as the weak curl of stardust signifying the magnetic field of unoxygenated blood. And indeed, as he got closer he could see the spots of deep red on the dormitory's steps.

But... what did that mean? Someone had been hurt, assuming this was a human's blood. It was impossible to tell how badly just from this, and best he could tell was that the blood stain must have formed at some point during the night. It wasn't much, so it could have been a coincidence. He'd ask the others about it.

Stepping around the drops Inti went inside. The doors were unlocked as expected, and he wandered to the dining area they'd used last night. It was deserted. A quick peek into other areas revealed much the same.

"Allianchu...?" he called by way of greeting, stepping back into the entryway of the house. He hadn't seen any of Jeanne's "defense force," or much of anyone. One of the students staying in the Inca-styled building poked her head out from around a corner at the sound of an unfamiliar voice though, and she fixed Inti with a curious stare.

"I'm looking for the people watching over Jeanne," he said. At the mention of the Frenchwoman, a flicker of emotion passed over the girl's face. Whether it was fear or disdain Inti couldn't say.

"None of them are here," she told him. She blinked, tilting her head. She might have recognized Inti from yesterday, but if she did she didn't say so. "Left really early in the morning, I think."

"Okay, thank you." Inti turned and was back outside just like that. So there had been all kinds of damage done to the city last night, at least one injury, and everyone investigating Jeanne's case - and Jeanne herself - had hurried out of the house. It was reasonable to assume that, given the news, everyone was getting an early start. He'd just have to catch them around the city while they (and he) were on the case. Then he'd be able to ask about the blood, the hunt for the bat Egoist, and about anything else that might have happened.

"So, then where to first?" Inti said to himself, opening up the newspaper again to choose on of the sites to start with. The most likely spot to meet up with everyone was where it mentioned Nazca's birds had been found, so he would start there, keeping an eye out for any fields that matched the one he was looking for.

EE 87, May 6 | Afternoon
^{____________________________}
With part of Jeanne's defense force having broken curfew and experienced the violent repercussions, and the other part having heard the story from the source themselves, Inti alone remained ignorant of the true events of the night before.

He had visited all of the sites mentioned in the Triangle, but hadn't run into Franz, Ryuuko, Nazca, Bang, or Jeanne as he'd hoped he would. Even the area blackened by fire and littered with the clockwork birds did not draw the two curfew breakers back, at least not while he was there. It was clear they had been involved in something, though. Unfortunately the officers posted at each scene were not particularly forthcoming with information. None of them carried the kind of gun he was looking for either. The broken storefront and the beach crater didn't appear to have any relevance to Jeanne's case - for one the bullets left behind at the former scene were completely different from the one involving the witch of flames - but of course no one could say for sure. Except maybe those that had been out that night.

Maybe he should switch his focus, Inti considered. He'd thought that by going about the investigation he'd run into his fellow defense force members sooner or later, but as the hours passed that didn't seem like it would be the case. Plus he was getting nowhere with his current work. Disheartening? A bit. But realistically Inti knew that his plan was simplistic and inefficient. The odds that he'd run into the gunman were low, but he'd thought that if that person was involved then they might have returned to the scene. No such luck.

Since no one knew for sure who had caused the various incidents during the night, and those mentioned in the Bermuda Triangle were made anonymous, it would make the most sense to actually pursue the people Inti knew were involved.

...and yet, he couldn't find them. After departing the cordoned off areas, Inti had swung around to the dorms again. Still there was no sign of any of the defense force. Making his way back to his own housing, Inti tried the telephone directory - which was of little help. They couldn't put him through to any of the others when he didn't know where they were and they were out of their dorms, and his second try in looking for information on any of the other curfew breakers mentioned in the newspaper didn't work either for much the same reason: no known name to connect to.

"Ugh..." Was he at a dead end once again? Man, mysteries were just not his thing. His ran through the memories in his brain of last and this morning. What was going on? There was that blood he'd seen and hadn't had the chance to follow up on, could it have been that one of them actually was hurt? And in that case, what should he do? Call on the hospitals in the area to see if anyone had been admitted, right?

"..." Checking in would have been easier if he knew for sure someone was hurt. The day had worn on already, if he left now would he be stuck outside once the curfew alarm rang?

His first instinct was to talk to his 'family,' as it had been last night. But the memory of their teasing and forcing him to awaken carved a small frown on Inti's face. Ultimately they were right, he was here in Bermuda on his own and he should be taking advantage of that. Growing and becoming independent while he could. So he would choose not to rely on them. He tightened his fists at his side, growing determined. Of course, not taking to the dreamscape that night meant that his mind conjured another idea. He had to see some things for himself, in person. Which would mean braving the fog in order to piece together just what was going on at night that could cause all of this. If it led him to some answers, then all the better. With that in mind, Inti set off again.

World of Light

Galeem Beach Volleyball

^{Collab with @Lugubrious@Archmage MC@DracoLunaris}
Word Count: 5554

After a little prowling around, Ace and Nadia managed to drum up a few more volunteers interested in a game of volleyball. Of the extended Koopa Troop, both Junior and Rika decided to take the duo up on their offers, the former out of enthusiasm for the sport and the latter out of curiosity. The acceptance of the former Abyssal helped speed Nadia to the conclusion that she would probably need to explain how the game actually worked, but she didn’t mind one bit. While she only got a chance to play it rarely, the feral loved volleyball most out of all the sports she’d tried, although golf and bowling weren’t too far behind. The motions for all three, in fact, played a part in her fighting style, often in tandem with her head to spike, roll, or drive it as the situation required. All that meant, though, was that she was overjoyed to share her favorite pastime with as many people as possible.

That said, not all of her fellow Seekers seemed too eager to participate. With the recency of their lunch and the general desire to relax after a ridiculously hard night’s work she didn’t blame them one bit, but after only the inexhaustible Blazermate pledged her support, Nadia found herself in something of a quandary. “Five, huh?” she observed, glancing around at the prospective players. “Maybe we can rope someone else in, just so we can have two teams of three.”

Since the luxurious Kanzuki beachfront estate did not feature a volleyball court of its own, the five hiked up the shoreline a short way past the sunbathing turtles and elaborate sandcastles. Nadia found it difficult to keep her eyes off the sparkling water, the myriad of corals that poked up from the shallows, and the strange but serene pillars just offshore whose wings undulated lazily beneath radiant halos. About halfway between Karin’s classy gala and the lively Island Paradise resort, her group found just what it was looking for: a pair of nets on neutral sand among the palms, their bounds marked by ropes along the ground. One looked to be in use, with a handful of players engaged in a rather extreme variant of the sport. The two teams, being ping-pong master and a stylish reptile versus a hammer-wielding girl and a skater robot, seemed to be trying to bean one another with the ball directly, racking up such impressive speed with their returns that Nadia couldn’t help but feel a little imperiled. On the other side of the palm tree row, however, the other court looked promising, empty except for a kid messing around with the ball.

Nadia trotted up to him, greeting the boy with a cheerful wave. “Heya! We were hopin’ to play a game. Mind if we use your net?”

After a moment spent sizing up the newcomers, with his eyes lingering on Junior the longest. Ron nodded slowly. “That’s fine,” he replied, his tone curt. “I can’t help but notice you’re one person short of equal teams. If children are allowed, I would like to play, as well. I need to test my capabilities.”

“Oh, uh, of ‘courts’! Welcome aboard!” As oddly serious and clinical as this kid seemed to be, Nadia was only too happy to accept the opportunity for even playing fields. Ron tossed her the ball, and after expertly snatching it from the air, the feral clapped it between her hands. “Alright, so! Anyone else know how to play, or should I start from square one?”

The Cadet studied the court before them. The ropes were obviously the game's boundaries, and the net splitting it down the middle provided space for each team on either side. A quick glance over where the other group were already engaged in some spirited play told him that the ball would pass over the net, but beyond that it was hard to guess any specific rules or guidelines the game should follow.

”I already know, but best the others learn it. Its not too complicated. Not like Tennis...” Blazermate said, doing some stretches even though as a medabot she didn’t need to.

"Might as well take it from the top, but I'm sure we'll pick it up quick," he said. He gave a friendly nod to Rika, his fellow in ignorance of the sport, who gave him a grateful smile in return.

Happy to oblige, Nadia launched straight into explanation. “Well! The goal is to score twenty-five points. Ya get a point when the ball lands inside the court on the other team’s side, or when they mess up. You can mess up by hittin’ the ball outta bounds or under the net, hittin’ it twice in a row, or grabbin’ it. Oh, and this is a contact-free sport, by the way!” With that she scampered over into the playing field, taking up position on the far side of the net. “Every round kicks off with a serve, like this!” In a smooth, practiced motion she tossed the ball up a short ways with her left hand, and as it fell she struck it with the palm of her right. The ball bounced off and sailed over the net to splash down in the sand on the other side. “When the ball’s in your court, the goal’s to send it back over,” she said, bending under the net to come back. “‘But that’s where the team comes in. You can pass the ball around and set it up for a good return. All sorts of hits work, but ya gotta show control, or you’ll send it straight outta bounds. There’s a couple types of hits just about everyone uses: pass, set, and spike!”

Dropping her head into her hands, Nadia demonstrated each motion in turn, showing off the low double-forearm pass, the high fingertip set, and finally the leaping palm smack. The force of her spike created a miniature sandy explosion where her head came down, but after recovery and a little dusting she was right as rain. “Early on, there’s sorta a rhythm to it,” she continued, her head tucked under her arm. “The pass sends the ball to the setter. The setter pops it up for the spiker. The spiker nails it on the other side. ‘Course, settin’ up the perfect spike is rare, and even then the other team might block it or bring it back. You can go as low as ya gotta as long as you pop it up for your team, so better ‘save’ than sorry!” She tossed her head up as if to serve it, but then caught it on her neck. After brushing her hair back Nadia gave the others a smile. “With me so far?”

”Thats cool for starting, but what about the almighty spike? You know with the powerhouses here they WILL try that at some point.” Blazermate said, having finished her stretches during Nadia’s explanation and, to make them seem completely useless, hovered off the ground anyway.

Brows furrowed, Nadia looked dubiously at the assembled players, that being two actual children, Blazermate, two women of rather slender-to-average build, and Ace. “Well, I dunno about that,” she replied after a moment. “We’re not playin’ too rough, I don’t think, ‘specially ‘cause its the first time for some of us.”

“More importantly,” Ron interjected, his pointed gaze directed at the floating Medabot. “Do you intend to use special powers to give yourselves an advantage? I was under the impression this would be a normal game–although, if such abilities are allowed, that would make things rather…interesting.”

Still a little unnerved by the boy’s manner of speaking, Nadia held her hands up, shaking her head. “Oh, no, we oughta keep it vanilla. An even playin’ field, at least for now.”

Ron crossed his arms. “In that case, we should divide the teams to have one kid and one newbie on each side. Don’t you think?”

“Sounds good to me!” Nadia concurred.

”Sounds handicap for the team that gets you instead of me, but sure let's go with that” Jr said to the other kid cockilly, although considering he’d played this sport at the olympics vs heroes and villains of two worlds, in his mind he had every right to be.

”So who’s gonna be on team Bowser Junior and who’s gonna be on team… uh what your name?” The prince asked the kid he was underestimating.

“Ron,” the boy said in succinct reply, his hands in his pockets.

”-on team Ron” Jr smoothly completed with that knowledge in hand.

”I’ll be on whatever team. I’ll need to make sure I don’t float around though if we’re keeping this vanilla.” Blazermate said, landing. She was only hovering a few inches off the ground as it was anyway, but not flying at all was going to be tricky. She’d also have to make sure she didn’t trip over her own kimono part, that would just be embarrassing.

“I’ll be on your team, right jr?” Rika said, thinking it a given and as far as the prince was concerned it was ”Yeah, obviously. No one’s got a problem with that right?”

If newbie Rika and the kid koopa were on the same team, then that meant the teams were handily decided. "Then I guess that would put me and Nadia on Team Ron," the Cadet said. He looked towards his proposed teammates. "That's Groovios with me!"

“Mew-sic to my ears!” Nadia agreed. After a moment Ron gave a stiff nod, as if deeming his new comrades sufficiently capable by rather exacting standards.

”Alrighty, I’m on Jr.s team then! This should be fun.” Blazermate said, walking to stand with Jr. and Rika. ”So… Now we just need team names and we’re good to go!” Blazermate said. ”But what names to use…”

“Names?” The idea of team names wasn’t something Nadia had considered. Not knowing a single thing about the young Ron made it a tall order to begin with, and while a single mojito wasn’t enough to impair her, she wasn’t feeling particularly creative either. If anything she was buzzing with excitement, eager to begin the game! “I got nothin’, but whatever, right? Let’s get this show on the road!”

She jogged over to the other side of the court, ducking under the net again before moving to the back right third of the court. “Tallest up front!” she called to Ace. “That way, you can jump up and slap any low balls right back!”

"Got it!" The hunter replied, sending a thumbs up her way before taking his position. Despite being a complete newbie to the game, he was equally as enthusiastic about getting started. His trademark grin was in place as he rolled his neck and shoulders in preparation for play.

”Rikas up front for us then.” Blazermate said, stepping back and pushing Rika gently up to the net to match where Ace was. ”Just hit the ball back over the net Rika, its pretty easy.” Blazermate said.

“Sure thing!” the ship girl replied, eager to try this out, as she got the bot’s point and walked the rest of the way to her designated spot without more pushing. Once there she waved a “Hi over there” to Cadet and then hopped a few times, hand outstretched, to get a feel for how high she could get compared to the net.The gauntlets, strapped to her back, did the opposite of weighing her down and instead left her with some slightly floaty jumps.

“So how do we start?” she asked once she was done with her practice hops, while mentally fiddling with the antigrav in her gauntlets to make them fit with the no power’s rule..

”Someone serves the ball, and then we’re off” Jr said, taking up the rear of the court, where he cracked his knuckles and then rolled his shoulders, which sent Mimi, still sitting there bobbing up and down much to her delight.

”Wouldn’t that be you Jr if we’re first to serve?” Blazermate said, actually bringing up a good question, which team was going to serve first? ”Wait, whos doing the coin flip for who goes first? I don’t have any zenny so…”

“Aw, no need to sweat it!” Nadia laughed. She slung the ball underhand under the net, sending it bouncing across the sand toward Junior so that he could pick it up and kick things off. “Let’s get this paw-ty started!”

”Alrighty Jr. Show them what the monster trio team can do!” Blazermate said, giving a fist pump to Jr.

”You mean team.. Eh why not” jr decided not contest Blazermate’s impromptu naming of the inhuman team and instead snatched up the ball that had been sent his way, eager to get going. He gave the ball a test toss to get a feel of it, and then after checking everyone was ready got the game started with a powerful smack of his scally palm sending the ball soaring over the net towards a spot vaguely behind Ace.

Nadia narrowed her eyes against the sun as she tracked the arc of the incoming ball. The arc looked too high for the monster hunter to block it, typical for most serves, but it also looked too low to be an easy bump even if he took the risk of back-pedaling. In just a moment the ball would smack down right about in the center, and as the most experienced one here Nadia made the split-second decision to for it. “Mine!” she sang, calling the shot, and as she scooted toward the middle she stepped out into a kneel, one knee in the sand, with arms extended for a low intercept. Right on cue the ball smacked off her forearms, and just a little extra oomph was enough to pop it decently high. It went a little forward and to the left, meaning Ron probably wouldn’t be able to help, but Ace had a pretty good shot, and he wasn't one to let opportunity pass by.

He moved, positioning himself beneath the airborne ball. He was confident in his hand-eye coordination, but not so much his control. There was pretty much never a time where he had to pull his punches, so to speak, so there was a real possibility of sending the ball out of bounds. But Nadia's instructions were fresh in his mind, advising that the goal was just to get it over the net and back into the other team's court. And to have fun, of course.

"Alright, here we go~!" Rather than attempt to 'set' anything up just yet, the Ace Cadet just returned the ball to the monster trio. Technically he was successful, but the pathetic shot drew a quick laugh from the hunter, half sheepish and half amused at himself. Trying to reign his strength in, the Cadet had basically just pushed the ball back over with the tips of his fingers. It's trajectory was shallow and it's speed was slow, but at least it was back on the other side now.

“I got it” Rika called out excitedly as she shifted over and under the ball, only to entirely misjudged her jump and strike, hitting it a few moments too late and in doing so managing to just giving the slow bopped ball some height again and sending it lazily towards the back of their court “-oops”

Blazermate, not being new at this game, saw Rika mess up a little bit for being new and recovered the ball, hitting the ball when it got near her to set it up for Jr. to return it. “All yours Jr.” Blazermate said.

”Alright! Here it comes!” the prince shouted as his claws bit into the sand before he leapt up with that gravity defying power and gave the ball a hard slap, aiming it to land about as far to the back as he dared.

The young prince’s strike sent the ball sailing, a high shot to the farthest end of the court. Its arc brought it well out of the reach of both Ace and Nadia, but so close to the rear boundary that it could easily go either way. Even with her keen eyes and quick reflexes Nadia couldn’t call whether the ball would land out or in, but either way, her team’s third member was determined to not leave anything to chance. Ron slid to a dramatic stop in a spray of stand, twisted around, and with a shout thrust his palm to the heavens. He struck the incoming ball dead on–or so he thought, for to the boy’s dismay the ball veered off sideways at a low angle, almost certainly doomed to land out of bounds.

That is, until Nadia saved the day. “Whoa!” she yelped as she threw herself backwards. The ball rocketed in, but just inches above the ground, the feral managed to whack the ball upward again with her fingers. Unfortunately, the odd hit put a spin on the ball, putting it on a collision course with the net. Beyond that Nadia couldn’t tell, as she plopped down in the sand. Whether the rally lived or died was up to Ace now.

The monster hunter flung himself into the ball's path, intercepting it on its way to the net. Maybe a bit eager to make up for his clumsy hit prior, the Cadet caught the ball on the side of his fist and launched it up... and up and up, sending it hurtling into the sky. When it came back down the ball bounced off the top of the net, wobbling in the air for a moment before pitching onto Team Bowser Jr’s patch of sand.

What had been a ”Ha” from a prince at the sight of the flubbed shot quickly turned into an ”Oh no” when it unexpectedly still managed to come over the the net by but a hair’s breadth. He dived and swung wildly, only just managing to bat it up into the air towards Rika who tried to stabilize it but failed, sending the ball bouncing just out of the side of the court and onto the sand.

As the ball hit the ground Nadia clapped her hands together, beaming with pride. “That was a fantastic fur-st round!” she declared as she treated everyone to her brightest smile. “Still, no matter how long it takes to get there, it’s just one point.” Her grin turned sly as she scooped the ball up from where it lay, then slapped it to get the sand off. “One down, twenty-four to go!”

The game began again, and though everyone from the total newbies to the more well-acquainted to the learned enthusiast tried their best, it took a while to recapture the magic from the first rally. Beginner’s luck couldn’t keep the Seekers from a handful of short-lived rounds on either side, whether that take the form of missing a pass, sending the ball out of bounds, or getting nothing but net. Nadia got ample time to teach everyone the practice of rotating on fresh serves, giving everyone a chance to not just play every position, but also try their luck at service. At one point a lopsided return caused the ball to plonk right off of Blazermate’s head, and though Junior dove to the ground for the hero save, his arms bounced the ball sideways over the boundary. After receiving a chorus of ‘nice try!’ and ‘so close!’, however, the little prince was happy to dust himself off and get ready for the next round.

Though a little reluctant at first to open up to the squad of tight-knit strangers, Ron loosened up over the course of a dozen serves, and quickly proved himself not just a fast runner but a remarkably high jumper, hurling himself into the air with the practiced grace of a martial artist. When Nadia neglected to call the ball and collided with Ace hard enough to send both to the ground in a heap, it was Ron who saved the day with a soaring karate chop to spike the ball back down on the other side. Almost as stunning a feat of heroism was the Cadet’s, who managed to grab Nadia on the way down and twist so that the young woman landed on him rather than the other way round, though the sudden tight squeeze left both so blushy that Ron could only roll his eyes.

As the game progressed, Nadia’s team racked up a clear lead, owing to the feral’s winsome combination of athleticism and expertise. Not wanting to get too carried away, however, Nadia started goofing around a little, going for stylish rather than practical hits. At one point she sprang up to spike the ball with her iconic flying screen door/, but the angle of the hit sent the ball too low, and it rebounded off the net like a wrestler on the ropes. Nadia landed in a handstand and flipped to her feet, but it was much too late to do anything other than observe the ball hurtle across the sand back toward the Island Paradise Resort. “Aw, kitty litter,” she griped, lightly slapping her knee. “I’ll get it!” So saying, she took off after the rogue ball. As she chased it down she watched it roll right for a red-haired man laying on a dark turquoise towel, dozing in the sun with his hat over his face. It came to a stop just inches away from hitting him, but the fellow seemed to notice anyway. He rose, took hold of the ball, and tossed it to Nadia as she approached. She caught it with one hand and gave a friendly salute before turning to run back. How funny that there would be two strapping young men with longish scarlet locks on one beach, but one was all she needed. Once back with the ball, she tossed it to the other team for service, then jogged to her spot so the game could continue.

To avoid wasting time Nadia reigned in her tomfoolery a good bit, and after that the game didn’t last for much longer. It ended with a score of twenty-five to sixteen in her team’s favor, but without skipping a beat she went straight into being a good sport. “Alright, good stuff, everyone!” Win or lose, the game itself was enough to make her happy, and with friends it was all the better. “High fives all around!” With her hands held high she clapped Ace’s, then Ron’s, who jumped up to meet her before she could even think about crouching down. Once she’d done the same for the opposing team, she put her hands on her hips. “Well, that’s volleyball! My favorite sport, and some of the most fun I’ve ever had. And remember, if losin’s gotcha down…” she winked with a devilish grin. “Don’t hate the playa, hate the game.” After laughing to herself she crossed her arms. “Or, we could switch sides and go straight into a rematch. Whatcha say?”

Game two ended up being a bit different from game one. Seeing as the newbies were starting to get a hang of the game, things were getting a bit more interesting. The game started with a serve from Nadia’s team, which thanks to Rika’s gloves, let her block the ball. However while she was able to easily catch and bump the ball, she missed it with Blazermate making the save and Jr. hitting the ball over, Ace accidentally bumping the ball out of bounds with his hit as Jr. hit the ball in an awkward part of the court. This was quickly made up for though with an ace from Nadia, making it past Rika and Blazermate tripping on her kimono, allowing the ball to land without issue.

The next few rounds went more like game one, with the newbies getting much better. Seeing this, Blazermate decided to spice things up a bit with what she mentioned earlier, and when Nadia served for her team again, Blazermate moved in front of Rika and spiked the ball down, catching Ace off guard, but also intriguing the hunter. And while his first attempt at a spike lead to the ball bouncing off his head, his next attempt was just as adept as Blazermate’s attempt, Rika trying but failing to catch the ball in time in a dive. Blazermate gave the hunter a thumbs up and after another spike from Nadia, Rika learned how to guard them.

And with that the newbies learned a new trick and how to counter it, leading back to a game where everyone had new tactics and used them in conjunction with their old ones to lead some strong rounds. Ace ending up to be a pretty nasty server, living up to his namesake at times. Jr. showed the other veterans a thing or two though, putting a nasty spin on a few returns that caught everyone off guard. Nadia also showed her cunning at times, making it seem like she was aiming at Blazermate but shooting the ball off towards Rika. Thankfully Rika’s giant gauntlets let her deal with these sneak attacks on occasion.

Eventually the game lead to a win for Jr.s team, thanks to a combination of some trick shots from Jr. and Blazermate getting some suburb returns thanks to her metal body. It wasn’t too shabby though and a good game all around. Rika and Ace had both grown well as they had gotten used to the game. And while Nadia and Ron had put up a good defense, Rika had learned a lot and caught up quick. Ace was definitely a powerhouse though, but that was made up for by Jr. and Blazermate doing all sorts of whacky shots to even up the score.

By the third game, the practiced volleyball players were well warmed up and the two newbies were hitting their stride. The pace of the game increased, as well as the general intensity of its players, with feelings of friendly rivalry struck up between the two teams pushing each to play harder.

It started with a serve from the Koopa prince, driving the ball toward the back corner of the other team's net. It was caught by his fellow kid Ron, who bumped it up back toward the net. It was a textbook pass, fast and efficient, and perfect for a follow up set. The Ace Cadet hopped up to tap the ball, stopping it's forward momentum and presenting it for his partner in crime to slam with the palm of her hand, spiking it back into the rival team's court.

The quick point they were looking for didn't come so easily though! The monster team's frontliner Rika was quick to move in with a dig, ducking under the ball and sending it skyward with both of her hands. At that point Junior had moved up to make a set of his own, followed by Blazermate on the attack. She sent the ball back over where it landed on the waiting forearms of the Ace Cadet. It was sent through each of Team Ron's players, with the team's namesake using his agility to dash to the far side of the net to try to get a point in an unguarded section of the court. The rally continued like that for a while, and each rally afterward as well.

The third game showed just how quickly the newbies had taken to the sport. The Cadet had a good handle on the game now, and started living up to his name with several service aces whenever it was his turn to serve. Of course the powerful shots found counters in both Blazermate and Rika, who used their metallic arms to save the ball when they could. In particular Rika had become a defensive monster, with her gauntlets and tenacity she would jump, run, and dive for any ball that her teammates didn't call out for - and successfully save it most of the time.

The battle between spear and shield was intense, but the one between the four veterans was even more so. Having learned to navigate the pair of lovebirds he'd been teamed up with, Ron proved not just a competent player but a decent strategist as well. As he gained more information about each player, including those on the opposing team, he called out instructions to Ace and Nadia in the heat of the match. When they cooperated it usually went well, but on the flip side Junior and Blazermate's tactics were hard to predict. Armed with plenty of knowledge about the game, but also aggressively ambitious and colorfully cheeky personalities respectively, they pulled out some unique and downright confusing shots.

Not to be out done, Nadia matched their energy with her own. Willing to think outside the box and wielding the talent to make it work, the feral's attacks were something to be reckoned with. In the latter half of the game she started making some fearsome cross shots, forcing the monster team to scramble to deal with them.

The match's high energy continued throughout. If it was possible the sand beneath them would have turned to mud from the amount of sweat the players poured into it. Everyone was scuffed up from sand being kicked up, or diving to save balls, but even so there were smiles on their faces. The more intense the match, the more fun everyone seemed to have. And so the game went on.

In the end, it was Team Bowser Jr's win. The spirited rallies toward the end of the match pushed the score passed the twenty-five point range, until they ended with 26-28. High on adrenaline, neither team was ready to quit playing yet, but they needed a quick break to recover. While they lounged, briefly retreating to fetch various bottles of water and sports drinks, Blazermate suggested spicing things up for the next game. Up until now they'd kept everything strictly vanilla: no special powers or abilities. However, now that everyone was familiar with the sport none of them had any objections to going wild in the next match.

The fourth, and what turned out to be the final, game was the one where all of the stops were pulled out. Jr suggested this primarily to advantage himself, and the reason for why he wanted that advantage, besides ego, was because his father had come along looking for him, initially to tell them about what was going down the rest of the day, but once he arrived he decided to stay and watch. Kamek was also there, but it wasn't her that Jr wanted to gain the approval of by winning.

Unfortunately for the prince, while he might have had a few volleyball related super moves up his non-existent sleeves it was Nadia who really shone when the gloves were off and the claws were out. Right out the gate she showed her stuff, sending a water-clone to catch a spike from jr, before propelling herself up via blood jets to get a high angle spike of her own driving into the sand a hair’s breadth past the center line.

She wasn't the only one who really benefited either, as Ron got to show off his own skills as he dashed through or hanging in the air to hit some shots, and even flashs stepping, briefly moving so fast the movement from point A to B wasn't visible.

With the teams having rolled back around to the original setup, only Ace on the human team wasn't pulling out absurd tricks, but the hardened hunter wasn't exactly a slouch when it came to the physicality department.

What the monster team had against this was a lot of air control, between Blazermate’s flight and Rika and Jr’s floaty jumps, and a secret little trick the prince had been counting on to win him this.

After enough back and forth one rally, Jr shouted for his team to ”Bounce it up for me! I’ve got something special lined up” which he got a few moments later, with Rika diving to bounce up a spike using her now gauntleted arms. The ball bounced high where Blazermate swooped in and passed it towards Jr who leapt into the air and then almost froze in time for a moment, having gathered enough power to perform a sporty special move.

He picked his target, and then slammed it home, sending the ball hurting at frightful speeds and slamming straight through the body of a water clone Nadia sent to interpret it, before bouncing hurtling onwards.

”Way to go junior! That’s my boy” Bowser cheered loudly in a way the prince wasn't old enough to be embarrassed by and instead only felt pride swelling in his heart at the praise. Enough that, even when the game ended with a close loss for his team, he didn’t really mind.

That was, however, the final game of the day. Both because after 4 increasingly intense games the players were all pretty tired, Rika for example more or less flopped down onto the beach next to where Kamek and Bowser had parked their butts to watch, and because the duo’s wandering had been in part to inform them as to what was happening next during their day off.

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 6 - Total EXP: 95/60 ------ Level: 2 - Total EXP: 38/20
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 717 (+4 exp)
Location: Sandswept Sky

With Tora's assurance that they didn't need to wait for the shells to be loaded, Primrose and Therion set to do their part. The Travelers found out quickly that the opposite turning stations were just that: opposing controls to move the cannon's barrel either clockwise, or counter-clockwise. They shared another look with each other; a silent, seconds-long conversation that terminated with Primrose slamming her hand onto the panel to move the hulking gun, and Therion leaning out from his station with throwing knives tucked between his fingers. The whole crew had been doing a good job of keeping the little flying monsters at bay, but those that found their way through were put down by a few well placed blades. Quick and precise, Therion picked them off until the platform itself lurched and the gun swung around. He clung tight to the console as a trilid he'd been aiming at took it's chance and dived at him. Twirling it's body like a drill, the akrid cut into the skin of the thief's arm as he deflected it, and subsequently finished it off with his dagger.

"Careful!" he complained to Primrose without much bite in his voice. She scoffed in reply, then looked toward Jesse who'd taken over the task of actually firing the massive weapon. She also didn't know what Jesse referred to when she mentioned a "high" school, but judging from her tone it was likely a joke anyway. "You'll do fine," she told the red head, "take it from here."

The FBC Director made the finishing touches on the cannon's aim, and then she fired. The whole train shook with the force of the shot. To Primrose it felt like it had rattled her heart around in her chest. The roar of pain let loose from Red Eye was the only proof that the shot had even hit it's mark. Relief spread through the Seekers, a general low level of cheer that said they might really have a shot of beating this thing, and Therion went ahead and voiced the thought aloud.

"Might actually have a chance," he said, though there was still a hint of skepticism in his words.

"Don't get too cozy now," Primrose said, just as Red Eye decided to pull up alongside the train. Primrose started the process of turning the cannon again while the others started their offensive on the Guardian's weak points. It was just about on target when the monster launched something at them in retaliation. The spiked pod slammed into the train and knocked the cannon off track, and Primrose from her station.

"Ugh..." She pushed herself up as the pod opened up, letting dozens of bulbous red monsters skitter free. Explosive monsters, as it turned out. She watched the group contend with them, drawing up a spell in her hand. It seemed the easiest way to deal with the explosions was to get them off of the train, and so she lashed out with her dark magic to try and shove any that she could over the edge. She noticed a creature approaching her fellow dark mage, and focused her attention on that one. "Moonlight Waltz!" The spell struck the Bolsepia and toppled it, and a follow up sent it spiraling off of the train.

Back on the gun's platform, Therion had held fast when the pod struck. With his fellow operator flung away, it was now on him to get the cannon aimed properly again. He had some unexpected protection in the form of Raiden, who'd climbed up and was fending off any of the little creatures that drew near. Because of course this would happen right after they'd made some progress in the battle.

"Gods above," Therion muttered, hesitating at the panel's control. It was only for a few moments, but it was long enough for one of the Bolsepia to duck the metal man's blade and crawl it's way toward him. Therion growled and kicked the thing off of the platform, toward the group's Psychonaut who was using them for impromptu ammo. "Heads up," he warned, before he went back to shifting the main gun. Thankfully Tora hadn't been mistaken, it really was simple enough to control. The Railway Gun and it's platform moved again, on track to face down Red Eye again.

Entering the Garden (Hi!)

Welcome to the guild!

heyo (21+ only)

Hey there, welcome! 👋 Enjoy your stay~

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 6 - Total EXP: 91/60 ------ Level: 2 - Total EXP: 34/20
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 430 (+2 exp)
Location: Sandswept Sky

The roar of Red Eye and the swarm of arrow-headed creatures spun the train's passengers into a flurry of activity. There was much to do, and not much time with which to do it. Midna raced off to collect the cannon's ammunition, playing to store it in her dimensional pocket. Sectonia, Raz, Panther, Mona, and the stranger were handling the wave of Trilids, which Primrose assumed was only the first of more to come. Briefly she considered dancing for them, but the flying enemies were easily dispatched as it was. Her gaze flickered to the beast, with it's unnerving eyes and even more disturbing jaws. She very much doubted her spells would have any effect on it. Now the dancer found herself in place where her magic was useless. With some apprehension she looked at the various panels that Tora laid out for them. The closest thing she could relate them to was how the inside of Necronomicon looked. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad, Tora had said that the controls were simple after all.

Meanwhile, Therion was coming to much the same conclusion, though he couldn't help but let snap, "What part of all that was simple to you?!" Even if the thief's flame came back to him, it most likely wouldn't help fend the monster off - and he was not planning to get anywhere near close enough to try and lower it's defenses or take it on with a blade. So he'd either have to try and take on one of the many roles in operating the main gun, or sit around waiting for the Red Eye to kill them all. Obviously he would take his chances with the former, he just had to choose what seemed like the most straight forward job.

"I'll take the turning station," the Travelers said in unison. They blinked at each other in surprise, but with no time for teasing or amusement they rushed to their places; Primrose on the left turning station, and Therion on the right. This would go well, or so they hoped. Though Primrose and Therion weren't strangers to butting heads with each other, their familiarity would theoretically make maneuvering the gun together a smoother process.

"Once the cannon is loaded we will start to get it moving," Primrose said. Her hands were on either side of the panel, and she studied it closely to make sure she would be ready, and that it was really as simple as slapping a directional button. A glance in the direction of Therion was met with a nod from the thief.

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 6 - Total EXP: 89/60 ------ Level: 2 - Total EXP: 32/20
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 1373 (+6 exp)
Location: Sandswept Sky - Split Mountain Base, Tostarena

It was a strange feeling to see a friend being beaten up and not even try to help them. Knowing it was for their own good, in fact. All the same Primrose winced as Therion took his licks and was then freed courtesy of Big Band. Privately, she was glad she hadn't had to suffer the same process. If they were lucky Therion wouldn't take it too hard, and maybe they'd even be able to joke about it sometime.

"What just happened," Therion said, mostly to himself as he took Big Band's hand and let himself be hauled to his feet. A bit dazed, his question came out more like a statement. Physically he felt great, despite just being thrown by a giant monster, bitten by metallic teeth and then pummeled by an enormous detective. He was assured that they would fill him in later, and although he didn't particularly like that answer he bit his tongue before he could make any snappy remark. With his mind now unclouded he was bewildered that he would even attempt to fly up and fight that giant beast, he was a survivor and that would have been reckless at best, suicidal at worst. He heeded Band's words to focus on the battle, only it looked like the battle wasn't coming back. Off Phalanx flew, leaving the group to their own devices on the ground.

They'd decided that now was the time break the statues and see whatever was waiting for them in relation to bell. At the sound of his name Therion, still not in the best of moods, glanced over.

"Uh, sure," he said in reply to Tora's misplaced praise. Wait, was that furball being sarcastic? Ultimately it didn't matter, Tora and his friend flying off and a couple of others spreading out to break the bell's clapper free of it's chains. The huge metal piece fell and rung once, and for a long moment nothing happened. Neither Therion or Primrose relaxed, the former defensive and wary and the latter poised and determined. They had expected something to leap out at them, or some enemy to manifest, but not the sound. Whatever was inside thrashed around so violently that it struck the bell's body and let loose a horrible, cacophonous noise that near paralyzed those that heard it from it's sheer volume alone. The Travelers' hands flew up to their ears, trying desperately to block out the sound.

Damn, I knew it was gonna wreck this stupid mountain! Therion thought. He really hated being right sometimes. Now wasn't really the time to say 'I told you so' though, if anything could have been heard above the awful clanging in the first place. To his left, Primrose lifted her pained gaze up and caught sight of Phalanx making it's way toward them again. Her heart nearly sunk, until she spotted not just Midna and Sectonia on the beast's head, but Poppi flying brightly towards it. The Seekers prepared to evacuate the mountain, and it seemed the sky serpent was their ticket out. Primrose shook Therion by the shoulder, pointing up until he turned to catch the same sight. Instantly he understood what was going on, but he still didn't want to go up there. He'd just thought about how flying up there was a bad idea, but once again he didn't have a choice - though this time for a different reason. The Travelers looked at each other just to confirm they both knew what to do before they took off. Still with the afterglow of ascending they flew up to the mighty colossus and held tight to it's back as it crossed over Jondo and then away.

As the mountain's peak crumbled and gave way, they spotted something massive and writhing. It's thrashing threw it from the summit, and it began to slide down the side of the mountain. It has hard to make out just what the monster was, only that it was gigantic and angry.

"Surely that is the beast we sought?" Primrose wondered. Concealed as it was in the great bell, she found it hard to imagine it was some kind of second ruse. Plus there was nothing else on the mountain's top - or at least not anymore. She supposed they'd find out for sure once they followed the monster down.

After a certain point it was clear that the monster's trajectory had it landing dangerously close to Tostarena. A harrowing minute later and the creature came to a stop with a great crash, sand and debris spilling over it - just outside of the town. A second titan, the one they were riding atop, was soon to follow.

The dancer suddenly realized that the ground was coming up quick. She couldn't fathom that the creature's driver would intentionally crash it, but it looked like that was going to happen with or without Midna's input. "Time to get off," she said, reaching up to grip the front of her scarf. Nearby Therion turned at her words, blanching as he saw the collision about to happen. Neither of them hesitated to throw themselves from Phalanx then, and they landed a little ways away with a tumble but ultimately alright.

They got their bearings again as the colossus burrowed it's way into the ground, shielding their eyes from the sand it kicked up. Once the sand in the air was gone they had a much clearer picture of the situation. Primrose looked to where the monster had landed, struck with sudden unease as it's full form was revealed. Despite it's incredible size, wriggling legs, and the spikes that stuck out from it's body, what unnerved her the most was the glaring red eyes. They ran along it's length from front to back, and reminded her of the nightmarish stories H'aanit passed along to them whenever she'd found more information about her quarry, 'Redeye.' That alone made her loathe to get close, but thankfully the group decided their best bet was the railway gun they'd traveled in on. She certainly wasn't going to disagree with that, and so she ran with the rest of the Seekers back to the train.

At some point during the group's mad dash, Primrose felt the familiar - and yet unfamiliar - effect of a buffing spell placed on them. For that she was grateful, as with the performance aspect of her ability it would have taken the dancer double the amount of time to speed everyone up. With the buff she focused on making it to the train, sure they would all figure things out from there. Scattered thoughts about warning the residents of Tostarena, or even trying to evacuate the town entered her head, but ultimately the citizens could see the giant monster laying just outside. Far too late for a warning, and anyone smart enough would already be heading to a safe place.

She leaped onto the train just after the quicker Therion, the both of them making space for anyone entering after them. The two Travelers split up then, Primrose moving up to lend a hand however she could.

Being his first time on the train, not to mention being completely out of his element, Therion watched the others go about their preparations. He gripped the railing tightly, his gaze flickering to the monster they apparently had to kill. He could just picture it rampaging toward them and leveling the entire town as it did. He didn't have any allegiance to Tostarena besides living there for the past week, but he'd still hate to see it demolished. Hopefully someone who knew what they were doing could get this big lump of metal moving before that happened.

Then a Tostarenan boarded, one he'd seen once or twice before. Tall, with a black metal body, and - wait this guy wasn't a Tostarenan at all. Why the hell had he ever thought that? Was it the hat and poncho, and his spell-addled mind hadn't been able to see through it before?

"Better late than never," Therion told the man. He wasn't sure what would need to be done on board until someone more familiar with running it started calling the shots, but he was sure they would need as much help as possible.

World of Light

Pun in the Sun

collab with @Lugubrious
_{Word Count: 5376}

After fighting through all manner of aquatic creatures the day before, it was actually a little cathartic to chow down on the seafood spread that Kanzuki's staff had prepared. Was that weird? Yeah, it was probably weird, but it tasted so good that the Ace Cadet didn't care in the slightest. Prawns, fish, clams, and more all spiced and broiled and delicious. The hunter didn't eat quite as voraciously as usual given their present company - it wouldn't do to get his invitation revoked after all - but the amount of food he managed to consume was still impressive. Between himself, Link, and Bowser, the cooks and caterers really had their work cut out for them, and they still had to feed the rest of the Seekers and any stragglers too.

No matter how good the food was though, the Cadet didn't plan to spend the entire day parked in front of the grill. He wandered into the shade with a skewer in hand, looking out over the beach as he finished the last of his lunch. It was a far cry from dark and foreboding sands. Even the ocean looked peaceful, with small gentle waves rolling up onto shore. The Cadet was happy to just soak in the sea breeze and the general positive atmosphere, but only for a little while. If he was going to relax and enjoy the day it would be a lot better with friendly company close by. He had someone in mind, and he made his way over to the shady spot she'd dragged her beach chair out of.

"Hey," he greeted Nadia with a smile as he approached. Though seeing how content she currently looked made him ask, "Not bothering you am I?"

Nadia visibly brightened up at his approach, her ears high but relaxed. “Not at all!” she grinned. “In fact, I was kinda hopin’ ya might wander my way.” As he seated himself she shifted in her beach chair so that she could recline comfortably while partially facing him, her finned tail beneath the chair’s arm. She wanted to start talking to him straightaway, but all of a sudden she found herself having a hard time coming up with what to say. A million things raced through her mind, like a school of fish beneath the sea, yet no matter how she grasped at them each slipped right through her fingers. Did she want to praise the food, or would that be too mundane? Congratulating him on their efforts from yesterday might come across as dwelling on a stressful past. Why am I having so much trouble all of a sudden, anyway? she wondered. Normally the fast-talking feline never lacked the gift of gab, but as it turned out, being anything but jokey, perky, and distant didn’t come quite so easily. She ended up taking a long sip of her mojito to stall for time. Hopefully a little rum would help her loosen up, relax, and just be herself. If only she could find an icebreaker, everything else would surely follow...

Some movement along the beach caught her eye, and she spotted a man walking along the shore. He was squat, with a bushy white beard, but so incredibly broad and brawny that Nadia had to do a double-take, and with his speedo only scant few inches of him were left to the imagination. “Holy cow,” Nadia breathed, her eyebrows as high as they could go, as she motioned at the dwarf for Ace to see. He turned to look at the specimen of masculinity, letting out an amused Wow, as he settled back into the beach chair.

“My dude is yolked! You think he has trouble wipin’ his ass by himself?” Nadia giggled. “And with that swimwear, if he so much as dives in the water too hard, everything’ll be out to ‘sea’!”

Her grin subsided somewhat as she shrugged, turning the conversation inward. “‘Course, I can’t exactly complain when it comes to clothes, what with my usual outfit and all. Most gals would wear more ‘round town and less to the beach, but here I am.” She flipped her hair like a diva for comedic effect, then gave a chuckle. “Still, I’m actually kinda diggin’ my new outfit. Whaddya think, Ace? Like it?” As she gave a little pose she returned his wink from earlier, giving him a good look at her new clothes.

"Well the eye patch is pretty cool," he said, tapping the side of his own face that mirrored where Nadia's accessory sat. It made him think of a kind of sealed power waiting to be unleashed for some reason. It was a look he definitely appreciated - at least currently, with that spirit's effect on his personality. Speaking of spirits, the Cadet took in Nadia's complete new look, from the new clothes to the flowing hair and the swirling marks on her skin. The changes were pretty, he'd thought so yesterday but it was especially true today in the sunlight. Ah, but the thought occurred to him that it’d probably be weird if he said anything about her body, even if it was good things. She'd asked about the outfit after all.

"I do like it, it looks good," he offered easily, smiling all the wider at her gesture. "Can't really say I'm an expert on other-worldly fashion, but I think blue is definitely your color."

Come to think of it, the 'usual outfit' she'd brought up also had a splash of blue in the form of her crop top. It suited her. Actually now that she’d mentioned it, that outfit had been pretty revealing… Of course he’d noticed before, but he hadn’t really thought too hard about it. Right now though, after growing to like Nadia in more ways than one, it would be hard not to think about. The Cadet brought his thoughts back to her current ensemble again instead, the juxtaposition she’d pointed out between her beach outfit and her normal clothes rather cute.

Even a simple complement left Nadia practically beaming. “Aw, thanks! Glad to hear my spur–of-the-moment ensemble worked out.” Remembering just what she’d gone through to procure them, she shook her head with a laugh. “I actually sent my copycat to get them, carrying my head around so I could see. I was in such a daze last night, I threw away my old clothes without even thinkin’. It’s a wonder I didn’t conk out in the shower after all... all that.” She sighed, realizing she’d accidentally retreaded old territory. The next moment, however, she shook it off with a smile and a curious look at Ace. “Now, I’m no fashionista myself, but I gotta say you picked out some real interestin’ duds for the beach. I mean, with that armor in the sun you’re gonna fry up like an egg! No way you’re the shy type, right? With all the crazy stuff I’ve seen you pull, I bet under all that you’re ripped enough to give ol’ speedo over there a run for his money.”

As she chatted Nadia couldn’t help but fret that she was speaking too intimately. Of course she was interested in this guy, but maybe she was being too obvious? Her ears perked up as an idea came to mind. “Oh hey, if you’re worried we might get attacked or somethin’, maybe ya oughta have a drink yourself. Here!” The feral offered the monster hunter her second beverage, still in pristine condition while she worked at its partner. “It’s a mojito. These bad boys are full of sugar, lime, and mint, plus a li’l rum. Perfect for relaxin’ on the beach!”

"Wouldn't it be just our luck if something did attack us?" he chuckled, taking the offered drink. He raised the glass to his lips, pleasantly surprised at it's refreshing sweetness. He considered everything Nadia had said, picturing her head and clone's shopping adventure through Limsa. He would have liked to see that. As for the rest of it… he could have been reading into her words too much, just hearing something in her tone that he wanted to hear, but maybe she was just a little bit interested in him, like he was in her? Or maybe he was totally off the mark, as was his usual luck with women. Probably the latter, but it was alright, he was having fun chatting with her either way. After another sip he grinned and spoke.

"Alright so I'm not quite as jacked as that guy, 'cause like, come on." He looked over again at the dwarf, whose steps were slowly taking him farther down the shore away from the pair. "Buuuuut yeah, you could say I work out." He wiggled his eyebrows playfully at Nadia following the understatement.

"And as for the armor, I guess it was dumb of me huh? I was kinda in the same boat as you. I didn't throw my clothes out, I just don't have anything else besides my armor." He guessed things would have been way too convenient for them if Galeem had seen fit to give everyone all of their stuff when the worlds got mashed together. Plus while traipsing from one adventure to the next, the Cadet hadn't even thought about picking up some casual clothes. He wished he had now, for moments like this when they all needed a break.

"You'll have to help me pick out a ‘mew’ outfit," he suggested. "But in the mean time, you're right. Between the sun and the sand... ugh." He laughed at himself and shook his head. "I've only got my underclothes but hey, it's the beach, right? One sec."

It took a heroic effort to keep Nadia’s eyes from bugging out.

He leaned over and sat the mojito snuggly in the sand and then stood up, moving a few feet away. It could have been the most technical strip Ms. Fortune had seen. There were belts and harnesses to be undone, clamps released and metal plates shifting against each other. Once free of the armor and the shipgirl rigging, The Cadet sat the chest piece upright in the sand and positioned the rest around it as a silent, headless, mock sentinel.

"That'll make anything think twice about ruining a good time," he joked, returning to his spot beside Nadia. The underclothes he wore consisted of a pair of shorts, a top that wrapped around his back and covered his upper arms and pecs but not much else, and matching gloves and boots that he promptly discarded by the beach chair. Before he sat down again he performed a classic flex with both of his arms raised. "Well? Think I should go ask that guy for some pointers?"

Having done her best not to just stare shamelessly at Ace as he removed his armor, a feat made none the easier by the intricacy and length of the process, Nadia did her best to ignore the furious swishing back and forth of her tail and the sudden rush of blood to her cheeks. After trying and failing to keep her eyes on Ace’s face until she averted her eyes altogether as she replied. “Heheh, heh, well,” she just about stammered, tugging at her collar as she looked off into the middle distance. “I certainly ‘cat’ complain.” In fact, she couldn’t seem to form any coherent thought at all, which frustrated her to no end. Calm down, you blithering idiot she told herself, but goodness, was this guy purrfect! He was just the right amount of brawny, neither an overblown caricature like the dwarf nor stuffed with show muscle like a bodybuilder, but the natural product of incredible effort and diet. Fusion with the lovely Jamaica might have made him a little smaller, but it also did wonders for his complexion, pushing him way over the line between well-built dude’ and ‘certified looker’. Plus, with Ace on Nadia’s radar for his genial, pun-loving, and heroic nature first and foremost, this new revelation came as icing on top rather than a superficial infatuation. Man, did I luck out or what!?

Of course, that left just one issue. How in the world could she get her interest across to him without being weird? Wait, should she be thinking about that right now? Even though they’d already been through thick and thin together, they’d been in one another’s company for only a day and a half or so. Even in Nadia’s profound inexperience, she knew that wasn’t much. Her first order of business ought to be getting to know Ace better. And for that, normal conversation would probably work a whole lot better than any schemes she might conceivably cook up.

The feral took an extra-long drink from her mojito, which helped her calm down. “Y’know, seein’ you outta your armor reminded me I forget to grab sunblock. Guess neither of us get beach vacations often, huh? I mean, I lived right on the seaside back in Little Innsmouth, but even if there were any beaches, the water wasn’t exactly clean, y’know? Still, it was a wonderful place, lemme tell ya. Fulla color, everythin’ all connected, all the balconies and chimneys branchin’ off like coral. And at night when the tide’s high, the light from all the neon signs and jellyfish lanterns would reflect on the canals. Ah, nothin’ better than an evenin’ stroll ‘long the walkways, just smellin’ what’s cookin’ in all the li’l restaurants and listenin’ to the waves.” Unable to suppress a wistful sigh, she glanced back in the direction of Limsa Lominscuttle Town. “Still, this place is way cool, too. A whole city on the water insteada just a district, and a helluva lot less rotten than New Meridian, heh. Really makes me wish I didn’t get stuck in the damn Dead Zone for who knows how long.”

The Ace Cadet took his seat once more, not entirely shameless as there was a strip of red on his face that ran from cheek to cheek after his display, that definitely did not come from a sunburn (not yet anyway). He scooped up the mojito that had been waiting for him and crossed one of his ankles over the other. Plenty of sun, plenty of sand, but not much beach, he agreed silently in regards to the comment about vacations. Nadia went on to talk about where she lived before all of this, and the Cadet listened intently. He did his best to picture the scene that Ms. Fortune was painting for him, taking bits and pieces from places that had been wholly unfamiliar to him a week ago and putting them together in the best approximation of Little Innsmouth that he could think of. The nostalgic way she talked about it brightened the place up in his mind's eye. Briefly he wondered if he sounded like that whenever he brought up Dundorma and Val Habar while in Astera, or if that feeling was strictly reserved for the people he knew there. He recalled Nadia's story about the gang that was her family, and figured that might be part of her feelings about the place too. It was endearing.

"That's really nice," he told her. "Not the Dead Zone part, obviously. Everything you told us about it at the Mizzenmast was awful." The Cadet also didn't want to dwell on unpleasant topics, so he moved on. "Maybe we can find a little piece of it somewhere out in the world, you never know with this place." He would definitely enjoy a tour with her.

"I like Limsa too, it's lively," he added, "and it kind of feels familiar. It's not exactly the same, it's a lot bigger for one, but it's similar to the cities I'm used to." Beside's the Guild Hall, and when the land would spawn an actual chunk of his world, the town he'd ended up in was more on the podunk side. Maybe closer to Kokoto or Pokke, villages he wasn't well acquainted with. The Cadet glanced over at his conversation partner. "Plus, it's got this whole out-sanding shoreline." Perfect for that beach vacation they finally got to take!

The pun made Nadia smile as she mulled over what Ace said about Little Innsmouth. While he meant his words as assurance, and of course she wanted to see the place again, she couldn’t help but wonder if such a thing would be for the best. “Maybe, but... I don’t know if I really want that.” She shifted herself in her seat again, uncrossing her legs to cross again them the other way around. “This world is all mixed and matched and jumbled together, right? If we did find Little Innsmouth, it could be a totally different place from the one I know and love. All the spots and friends I miss, Yu-Wan and Minette... who’s to say whether or not they’re still there, or haphazardly replaced by other stuff, from other worlds? It’d be... I dunno, uncanny. I don’t think I could be happy with that. With the dysphoria.”

Nadia gave a long and wistful sigh, her eyes shut, then looked out into the vast blue sky. “When this is all over, I wanna go back to my real home, just how I remember it. It’s not perfect or anything, but it’s where I belong.” Unable to stand the rather angsty tension any longer, she gave a short laugh, mostly at herself. “Heheh, well. ‘Til then, I guess I’ll see what all this patchwork world has to offer. Sure it’s a little crazier than what I’m used to, but I was gettin’ into fights all the time anyhow, and it sure ain’t all bad.” She wiggled her eyebrows at Ace before laying her elbow on the arm of her beach chair, and resting her head in her hand. “So, you missin’ anyone, too? Stand-up guy like you’s gotta have tons of chums back home. Maybe even... a lady friend?”

While she explained her thoughts on potentially running into a mishmash version of Little Innsmouth, the Cadet nodded. "Hm, I get that." He hadn't considered things that way before, but he supposed he could understand the feeling, even if he didn't share it. The hunter himself had just been relieved and grateful to see any chunk of his home world so far. As Nadia's reminiscences started to take a turn for the melancholy all he could think was, Good going, Ace Idiot. He almost apologized for suggesting the idea, so he was grateful when Ms. Fortune steered them forward. He had chuckled at her playful insinuation then taken another sip of the mojito as she went on, though the last question she asked almost made him choke on his drink. After a poorly disguised cough he looked back at her.

"Not... exactly," he said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. He wished he did have a certain sweetheart to leave behind, as that would mean going back to her once everything was over. There was certainly no lack of trying on his part, but things had never panned out the way he wanted them to with his heartfelt crush on the Guildmarm, even after reuniting in Lumbridge. Sure, he could tell Nadia about his one-sided feelings but that didn't seem like the right move. Setting the interest he had in her aside, the Cadet didn't want things to potentially get weird between them. So he went in a different direction with his reply, pushing a grin into place.

"Despite my amazing hunting prowess and winning personality, I didn't have anyone like that. It's tough competition back where I'm from," he said, playing things up for Nadia's amusement. Not that what he said was necessarily untrue, as around the larger gathering hubs one was always able to find at least five or six Geralts around, the rugged and handsome types. The Ace Cadet took another drink and settled back with one arm tucked behind his head.

"Actually before this all happened, I was already away from home and my team for weeks. On a research commission. Sure you get to know everyone you're working with, make friends, but once it's over everyone goes their separate ways." The exodus of hunters headed back to the Old World after the mess with the Elder Crossing was resolved had left the base feeling lonely for days afterward, even if part of the commission remained. "We were just about to move even farther out, but then..." he gestured vaguely at the second sun in the sky with glass in hand as he concluded.

‘Not exactly’ wasn’t ‘no’, but Nadia wasn’t going to read too much into it. Ace’s past was his business, and what to share about it was his choice to make. The feral simply took his reply as a relief. When the monster hunter described the events leading up to his world’s sudden end, she offered a sympathetic nod. “Mhm. Galeem, more like... ga-lame.” Totally unrepentant about her bad joke, she leaned back in her seat and drained the last of her beverage. With the sun’s heat really starting to sink in now, the cool drink felt that much nicer, and she kept the ice-filled cup in her hand. She’d hoped that Ace might have more to say about his friends, or responded to her reminiscence about her home in kind, but he wasn’t exactly the voluble type. Not a problem, of course, when Nadia Fortune could run her mouth a mile a minute when she felt like it.

“I feel ya though, it’s tough where I’m from, too, but not for the same reasons, I don’t think. New Meridian’s a huge city, always hustlin’ and bustlin’, everyone movin’ a mile a minute while lookin’ out for number one. And who can blame ‘em, really? Durin’ and after the Grand War, the whole Canopy Kingdom boomed like crazy, but crammin’ so many different people under one umbrella ain’t without its downsides. Sure, it looks great, but on the other side of all the glitz and glam it’s crowded, dirty, and even cutthroat. Crime is ridiculous, the damn Medici Mafia worst of all, and the crooked cops sure don’t give a crap. And as if all that wasn’t enough, everyone gets to live in fear of a new Skullgirl appear’. Disparity, discrimination, despair... if you’re not upper class, it can be tough just gettin’ by day to day, let alone meetin’ people. ‘Specially when you’re someone... well, like me.”

Nadia gave Ace a grin. “Now, I know you’re askin’ yourself, who in the world wouldn’t like Miss Fortune? She’s just so smart and lovable and talented, not to mention humble! Well, things ain’t exactly sunshine and rainbows. Where I’m from, most people don’t like Ferals a whole lot, even if we got it better than the poor Dagonians. And once in a while you run into someone who likes ‘em too much, obsessin’ over their real-life catgirls and crap. Treatin’ us like animals, no matter which side of the spectrum they’re on.” She sighed, running her fingers along her scars. “There’s also my whole separation thing. I could hide it, I guess, but that’d mean tryin’ to build relationships on a lie, and there’s no way that turns out well, right? But when people see how I am, they’re liable to think I have a parasite, which is taboo, or worse, that I’m connected to the Skullgirls somehow. Even aside from that, though, it’s just sort of... gross, you know? I mean, it’s body horror, plain and simple. No matter how you slice it, I’m just not...normal. Can’t really blame people for not wantin’ any of that.”

After a brief pause, staring down at the sand as she realized she might have loosened her tongue a little too much, she continued. “Plus... well, I dunno why I’m telli-nya any of this. I guess I just wanna come clean, or maybe it just feels good to get it off my chest. But remember what I said about it bein’ tough gettin’ by? Well, the last piece of the puzzle is that I’m... well, a cat burglar. Surprise, surprise.” Shrugging as if to say what can you do, she put on a wry smile. “Me and the Fishbone gang. We’d steal from the rich out in the city, usually the Medicis, and spread it around the poor folk of Little Innsmouth. Keepin’ some for ourselves, of course. Not that a li’l charity makes it right.” A dry, almost despondent chuckle escaped her, before she turned back to Ace with an apologetic look. “Sorry for spillin’ my guts like this, even if it’s just figuratively for once. All things considered, I’m surprised a great guy like you’d give a trash fire like me the time of day.” With that Nadia fell silent, knowing that she’d gotten carried away and fearing that her reality check might scare Ace off. But if she was going to have any chance with him, she knew he would have to confront this, and that meant the end, better sooner than later.

The hunter was surprised to hear all of that about Nadia's home. He'd heard her talk about her backstory before, and so he knew it didn't have a happy ending, but this was despair inducing. It didn't get any better when she brought it back to focus on herself and her own experiences. And yet her personality was normally so vibrant! Making the best of a bad situation. He sympathized with her, and couldn't help but let out and incredulous half-chuckle at the joke she'd thrown in, but the last thing she said had a frown forming on his face.

"Hey..." The Cadet sat up so that he could turn to fully face his friend. "Don't say that, you're great too! And you don't have to apologize."

After laying it all bare like that the feral, understandably, seemed a bit down. Nervous even. They couldn't have that. The Cadet jumped right into encouraging her.

"You go through all of that and still get back out there, and still even love your city? That's ameow- amazing.

"Plus anyone would be stupid not to see you're beautiful, insides included!" There was a beat of silence after his words when he realized how weird that probably sounded, even given the context of their conversation. "I mean like, inside and out. _Aaagh..."

He pushed a hand through his hair. Hopefully that didn't come off as strange as he worried it did. He didn't want to take his words back because they were the truth, and besides he hated to see a girl disparage herself. The way Ms. Fortune could separate her body was shocking, yes, but it just took some getting used to. "What I mean is, you're awesome. We've only known each other a couple days and you're already one of the most Radalos people I know."

He had yet to address her profession confession, and it would be a few moments more until he did. Realistically he thought he probably should have a problem with it given his own background, but he didn't - and he very much doubted anyone else in their group would either. He knew there was a difference between malicious thievery and turning to crime to stay alive.

"...you know, in the Old World I was a Guild Knight," he began. "The Knights do all kinds of stuff besides hunt monsters. We're basically peace keepers, so our job included tracking down people that broke the law. Punishing them too sometimes, but thankfully I never did much of that part myself." He met her gaze, his eyes showing a hint of amusement at the irony of their situations. She seemed on edge, but hopefully Nadia could see the humor in it too. "So I've seen my share of criminals. Mean, totally corrupt, no remorse...

But you don't seem like them at all. You were helping people then, right? And you're here trying to save the world now!" The Ace Cadet smiled at her, warm and reassuring. "You're a good person."

After letting the cat out the bag Nadia braced herself for the worst, but to her surprise -and soon after, delight- Ace wasted no time setting her worries to rest. He washed the doubts and fear with an inundation of praise, using terms like great and awesome and even beautiful. The goofy way he phrased his appreciation brought a laugh out of her, making its delivery all the sweeter. A surge of emotion struck the feral, a little embarrassment mixed with relief and, above all, gratitude. Sure, she’d pretty much forced him into a position where he had to say something nice about her, but this was no mere front on his part. The man could genuinely look past not just her unnatural bodily condition, but her past as a criminal despite once being something of a lawman, and come out on the other side to tell the girl that even if she didn’t believe it herself, she was a good person. She wasn’t so soft-hearted that Ace’s kindness would make her burst into tears, but she couldn’t stop her eyes from watering just a little, either. In her heart Nadia could now conclude that the Ace Cadet absolutely liked her too, and even if that put some butterflies in the feral’s stomach, she couldn’t be happier.

In her somewhat tipsy giddiness Nadia wanted to tackle Ace and hug him like her life depended on it, rubbing up on him like, well, a cat, but she managed to keep herself under control. Instead she reached over and squeezed his shoulder with her hand, hoping that her touch helped to convey the thankfulness her words alone really couldn’t. “Thanks, man. Really.” she told him. “If my world were full of people like you, it’d be a much better place.” After taking a deep breath of the fresh seaside air, she sat up, planted her feet in the sand, and put on her best smile. “Anyway! That’s more than enough of me sittin’ around, bellyachin’ over purr-sonal stuff. I’m ready to tire myself out again. Maybe see if I can whip up a game of volleyball, or we could just go in the water.” She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. “Whatcha think, Mr. Ace Cadet?”

Seeing the effect his words had on Nadia brought the Cadet a great deal of joy. She could have easily brushed him off, but instead she took them to heart. She deserved to feel good about herself, so he was more than happy to bring up all of her good points. He thought about going on, but paused as she thanked him and reached out. Despite the heat of the sun, her touch felt pleasant and warm.

"Aw, c'cmon." He ducked his head a little to hide the pink that was starting to bloom on his cheeks. He didn't think he was some shining beacon of goodness. After all, how many times had his dumb antics almost gotten people killed? It was only a scant few years ago that the ace hunter was inconsiderate. But since then he'd been trying to grow, become someone that others could rely on, especially to lift their spirits. If such a great girl thought so highly of him, then maybe he'd succeeded.

"Well if you need a pick-me-up, you know who to come to," he offered with a grin as Nadia moved on. She had some ideas for activities, and he considered them while finishing off his own mojito, tipping his head back until the glass was empty. Between playing a game and swimming, the former was his preference. Though unfamiliar with it, he could pretty much guess what was involved with "volley" and "ball."

"We can play first, cool off later?" he suggested. The Cadet got to his feet and extended his hand for her to take.

"Shell we?"

After tossing her hair in a faux-dignified manner, Nadia accepted his hand with a gracious smile. “But of course!”

Once on her feet, Nadia went off with an irrepressible pep in her step and Ace right behind, both eager to see who among the vacationing Seekers might fancy an impromptu volleyball game.

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