ic Girls (And Boys) Just Want To Have Fun (At The Pool) [OPEN]

[MoonSimply]

Carmen wasn't one to get into the water first, deciding it was best that she find a new reclining seat and lay back. It was high time that she enjoyed herself a little bit. Little to no schoolwork, having only just begun at Claremont, and with the summer sun in the air she was already out of class. It was only natural that she lay back and enjoy, more like a lizard on a hot rock if anything, taking out a refreshing fruity soda drink she had picked up from one of the Hispanic markets, the same kind she would get back on the island. A quick use of a bottle opener and she was relaxing away, mindlessly flicking through a fashion magazine that she had stored away.

 

She had a few more drinks stored away in a small lunch pal inside her bag, along with some fruits to eat that she had gotten for everyone, even Neko. A simple stretch of her body and she was perfectly content to stay where she was. In fact, Carmen thought she might just never get in that pool where she was, slowly however being enticed at the sight of a barbecue being prepared.

[Avenger Assembled]

Neko looked around for a moment, seemingly unsure of herself. She hadn't heard any of the sirens Wilona had mentioned, so maybe the police everyone was worried about weren't coming. She sat down by the edge of the pool, peering at her wide-eyed reflection in the water, then settled down into one of the nearby pool chairs after brushing off a layer of dust. It was obvious that they weren't the first teenagers to come this way, she decided, and so she wasn't going to worry about it. She waved her hand and produced a chuzao shamisen, a curved Japanese guitar, and without taking the time to tune it began picking out notes that nonetheless sounded perfectly formed. 

 

"Mm." Owain peered at the pool himself, looking uncertain. "How does it stay so clean?" he inquired thoughtfully. "These pools are standing water, they have those cleaning machines...but surely no one tends it here?" He shot an uncertain look at the house, his eyes widening. "Unless..." 

[Nerdzul]

Mostly oblivious to the worries of some of his friends and admittedly distracted by the his bikini-clad classmates (probably in ways that his girlfriend would not completely approve, then again he was a teenage boy), Luke was grinning ear to ear when he joined the rest of the team by the poolside. 

 

He unceremoniously ditched his stuff, towel, flip flops and hat, at a safe distance from the pool, being already clad only in his swim trunks and headed toward the water.

 

"Watch out below!" He shouted enthusiastically, jumping into the air and diving in with a massive splash, one that reached even those who were not yet in the the water, but still close to the pool. He remained under the surface for a few moment, before emerging with a triumphant "Whohooo..."

 

"Come on jump in people!" Luke waved at the others that were still waiting. "Time to get wet." He joked. Now, deep down, he could somewhat understand their worries, the situation was definitely a bit strange, yet he has no reason not to trust Wilona and Naomi and well... a bit strange wasn't exactly uncommon in the life of a teenage superhero anyway. 

 

"Anyone up for a chicken fight?" He suggested a few moment later. "My shoulders are ready for action..." He added, playfully flexing his muscles.

 

Edited June 27, 2022 by Nerdzul

[Spacefurry]

Paper

 

Leon approached the pool, bringing up the rear. He caught sight of Wilona midair before gravity did its thing and she plunged into the water. He noted the scars but paid them little mind.

‘She doesn’t look too bad in that.’

He found himself watching the water a little longer then he had meant before realizing who it was he was looking at and yanked his attention away.

 

He passed Neko as she was settling into one of the deck chairs, tossing his things into another empty chair as she began to strum her conjured instrument.

“Nice.”

He glanced in her direction as he pulled off his shirt. He gave her a  smile and nodded slowly along to the melody. He moved pass the lounging Carmen over to the poolside just as Wilona hopped out to help Naomi with the grill.

 

He gave a low whistle as he stopped next to Owain, patting him on the shoulder. He brought up an arm as Luke as he decided to follow Wilona’s example.

“Don’t worry, man. They probably still have somebody that comes around to clean it once a month or something. No one that lives in place like this cleans their own pool.”

He chuckled as he wiped off some of the water from the splash.

“At least the scenery is nice.”

Leon grinned, nodding back towards the lounging cat girls then glanced over at the other two by the makeshift grill. He watched Naomi as she walked over to sit on the pool’s edge.

 

“You’re on.”

Leon called back to his roommate with a grin.

[secondling]

Legatus

 

With no sign of any authorities, Felix shrugged mentally, flew over the fence, and landed nearby to the pool. He considered the group, a faint smile ghosting over his lips. Carefree. Not a bad thing to be. He stripped off his shirt, tossing it aside to reveal an unsurprisingly sculpted physique, and began some warm ups. Not that he needed to do so - he couldn't drown, as he didn't need to breathe, but being an example for others who did have those needs was an important part of who he needed to be.

 

Not that I'm going to tell them off for not doing so. He smiled as he finished up, before looking to Owain. "It's a good point, but as Leon says, I think we're safe enough." He shrugged. "I wouldn't drink any of it, though. That would be a terrible idea, but that's true of most places you could swim."

 

Felix turned to some of the others. That's... Carmen, right? He approached her, settling down on a chair nearby, though not lounging. "Not interested in the water right now?" He asked, before lifting a hand. "If you'd rather I leave you alone, though, don't hesitate to tell me. I won't be offended."

[Avenger Assembled]

Neko couldn't see Leon or Luke's faces from where she was sitting, just their physiques. For a moment she blushed, mouth wavering and cheeks turning pink, before she strummed her guitar and began to first play, then sing, the song of the beach. The pool wasn't quite the same as the beach, but it was as close as she could get. Maybe they are cute if you don't look too closely at their ears, she admitted to herself, even as she focused on the song. 

 

"Oh, ah...here I go!" Owain studied the pool, obviously drawing up his courage, - then circled around to enter into the shallow end. "I, ah, learned to swim in standing water. There was a pool near..." He hesitated, then pressed on. "Well there was a lady who lived in that one, but she was cordial enough." The water was cold but he would never admit such a thing in front of the other fellows. 

[MoonSimply]

Carmen behind the view of her magazine could see a rather similar view of Leon and Luke's bodies on display in the glistening pool. She'd have happily gone in, to take them up on the offer, but hesitated in getting up to join them. Whomever was in charge of the property in the absence of the owner surely did keep some care of the place, and she can appreciate that the pool wasn't some grotesque green sludge of mosquitos and other messy debris. At least for her and the enjoyment of others, she got a decent view.

 

She was distracted so much from said view that she didn't see the upper classmen approach her, even with super senses she didn't even notice him until he was in front of her and speaking, "O' no I'm fine. I just don't want to go in the pool just right now... you're Felix right. I don't think we've ever really talked before. You don't have to move for me, I can talk."

[Nerdzul]

"Come on, ladies, no one is  up for a bit of a challenge." Luke grinned as he called for the others to get in the water and play. "I mean, you have four strappin' boys all eager to be your trusted steeds." He teased, raising his arms out of the pool and pointing at Owain, Leon and Felix (and spraying a generous wave of water on his friends as well). Now he wasn't exactly sure about the outcome of a game of chicken where everyone had superpowers, or how conductive it would be to the integrity of the place, but then again, he was certain that it was gonna be entertaining. 

 

“At least the scenery is nice.”

 

"Tell me about it." Luke smiled again, giving Leon a playful nudge on a shoulder, now himself, he did already have a date, but that didn't mean that he was blind to the company they had...

[Avenger Assembled]

Neko strummed her shamisen a few more times, then waved into non-existence when she saw no one was really paying attention. After some consideration, she stood up and neatly shucked off her kimono, then padded up to the edge of the pool on her bare feet, pointed nails clicking slightly on the concrete. The chlorinated water smelled as bad as she'd feared, but it certainly was pleasant to see all the boys down there in the water. Her tail twitched behind her as she said, "Owain! Are you going to water-fight? Come on!" She looked down at Leon and favored him with a smile. "He can fight more than he looks." Having taken out her phone from her kimono, she turned around and snapped a selfie of herself by the water - and then seemed to slip, tumbling right for Leon's lap... 

 

[Spacefurry]

Leon caught himself nodding along with Neko’s music. She had pretty voice, even if he didn’t know what she was actually saying. He watched Felix trying to chat up Carmen.

‘More power to him. She needed to open up more…’

He thought to himself before mentally frowning

‘Like I have room to talk.’

Ultimately Leon shook his head and blew out a small exaggerated breath. He was his own walking bundle of conflictions.

 

He wasn’t hungry yet so he walked over to the edge of the pool himself he smirked at Owain.

“Okay, Kid Arthur.”

He teased good-natured-ly.

“No one wants to hear about you flirting with the ‘Lady of the Lake’.”

Leon chuckled as he sat down on the edge, not far from Naomi as he shot her a grin.

 

When Neko’s music stopped Leon chances a glance back over his shoulder. His grin faded as he watched her disrobe her kimono. He was forced to quickly look away as she approached the pool, otherwise she might catch him staring.

He could hear her nails on the concrete as she stopped nearby and called out to Owain. He looked up at her and smiled back.

“I’ve seen him in practice a few times. He’s okay.”

His smile becoming a grin as chuckled. He turned his attention to Luke in the pool as the other boy continued to await challengers.

“I think you scaring the girls, man.”

He laughed and glanced at Naomi as if to share the joke. He caught motion in the waters’ reflection as Neko seemed to lose her balance.

Reacting instinctively he twisted back, reaching out to catch her. Paper seemed to appear from nowhere to catch her phone. The paper wrapping it in little bay-like wings that flapped cartoonishly as it hovered midair.

“You okay?”

He asked, all teenage bravado and cockiness gone, genuine concern obvious. Perhaps sometime later it might occur to him that Neko’s natural grace and dexterity would never allow her the indignity of tripping or stumbling. But that would be later.

Leon’s concern was slowly being joined by red-cheeked awkwardness as Leon began to realize he now had a cute, bathing suit clad young lady in his lap and arms. Feeling the heat in his cheeks as he knew Neko could clearly see it, he tried to recover some dignity and looked away. It did little to help.

‘Oh gods, do not let Wilona see this.’

He thought, knowing she would tease him relentlessly about it. Luke’s ribbing would be bad enough.

“Gotta, (cough), gotta be careful around pools. It, ah, can get slippery.”

He managed to stammer out.

Edited July 12, 2022 by Spacefurry

[secondling]

Legatus

 

"Yeah, I'm Felix." Now I am, at any rate. "I think I've seen you around once or twice, but I've not been very, uh... sociable." Felix chuckled dryly. "Call it a product of a troubled upbringing. Anyways..." He settled back on the lounge chair, wincing as it creaked alarmingly. "As you say, I don't think we know much about each other. Do you have plans for the summer?"

 

He looked over at the other teens as they bantered with one another, his sense of isolation pushing in on him against his will. Camaraderie. Friendship. My siblings, I still miss you... He shoved it aside, trying to pay attention to Carmen. Focus on the now.

[Avenger Assembled]

Owain looked at Luke, looked at Neko on Leon's lap, looked at Luke again, looked at Legatus and Carmen over by the edge of the pool, and then suddenly splashed Luke in the face. "Ah-hah!" he declared. "I have you!" 

 

Neko landed artfully in Leon's lap, curling her back just so that he didn't take the full impact of her weight. "Oh hello," she said, blushing slightly as she smiled up at Leon, her lips curling up and eyes almost closing. She was warm, with a cat's body temperature rather than a girl's, and didn't seem to be in any hurry to get up at first. "Thank you for saving my phone. It was a gift from Merlin and I use it to twitchstream." 

[EternalPhoenix]

Effigy and Invisigirl

 

A whispered “Aerus Servinius” sent a slightly forceful splash of water over Luke. “Nobody wants to ride on your shoulders, you goon.” Her tone was warm, however, taking the sting out of the words. “You gotta be smoother if you want to touch a girl.” She was just floating in the water, really. “You boys want to start a water fight I’ll school you good. Otherwise it’s whatever.” She was in a good mood, honestly. She liked this place.

 

Naomi was off in space somewhere. She was humming a song idly. Something from the radio. She did smile back at Leon and move a little closer to within auditory range of her quiet voice.. “Hi, Leon.” Was all she said, though. She could have taken his hero moment from him, but unlike him she noticed Neko’s fall was intentioinal. So no, WIlona wasn’t looking. But Naomi was. And then she turned her eyes to the idly drifting Wilona. Her expression was more unreadable than usual. “Is that fun, Leon? Neko?” Her voice was quieter, too. So only those two would actually hear.

[MoonSimply]

La Puma Negra (Carmen)

 

"Not really. Most of the time I stay around the school, but some weekends I get to stay with a local church and help around," she'd respond back, putting down her magazine upon her lap. Carmen would look over towards the pool, seeing Neko fall in only to be saved in the arms of Leon. A bit of relief on her part, even if she didn't like Neko. It seemed like everyone was having already plenty of fun in the water, all the while she stayed away, sitting and resting in the sun alone with Felix, "My name is Carmen, I just started late into the spring term so I'm still kind of new."

 

Carmen gave him the look over, noticing how honestly good looking he was, turning away back to the pool before after looking over his strange blonde and black locks of hair, "I'm not from around here so everything is different. It's not like Puerto Rico," pulling back her legs as she puts the magazine on a spare chair next to her. Her tail swished from underneath her, arms wrapping around her legs.

Edited July 22, 2022 by MoonSimply

[Spacefurry]

Leon glanced back at Neko. She was warm. Were all girls this warm? He could swear he saw faint striping in her blush as she looked up at him in that languid way cats do.

This was the closest he’d ever been to a girl. Well one that wasn’t trying to beat him up. He felt his pulse quicken just a bit and he would swear she could probably hear it.

He wasn’t as warm as she was, but even still, given time the cat-girl might notice that his left arm didn’t radiate warmth like the rest of him. It wasn’t cold, just ambient in temperature.

 

On 7/12/2022 at 11:56 PM, Avenger Assembled said:

"Thank you for saving my phone. It was a gift from Merlin and I use it to twitchstream." 

 

“No problem.”

He smiled a little nervously.

“I know. I may have caught one or two clips.”

There was no way he was going to admit he followed her right now. He’d never donated, that would have just been weird since she was a classmate and friend.

“I loved your reaction to those goldfish-shaped crackers.”

Leon chuckled and glanced away again, using the ruckus in the water as an excuse. He smiled at his friends, even Wilona seemed to be letting herself relax. It seemed to be contagious as he felt himself relax a little too. His blush faded a little as he smiled and chuckled.

 

He looked to Naomi, just now noticing she had scooted closer, and felt his blush return again. Two cute girls, this close and friendly. Leon was just waiting for the universe to balance out and have one of them attack him. Then again neither of them was a red-head. Maybe just have something fall from the sky and knock him out.

 

On 7/13/2022 at 1:29 AM, EternalPhoenix said:

And then she turned her eyes to the idly drifting Wilona. Her expression was more unreadable than usual. “Is that fun, Leon? Neko?” Her voice was quieter, too. So only those two would actually hear.

 

Leon honestly thought Naomi was asking about playing in the water like the others at first.

“What? Oh ya, lots of fun. You should try it yourself.”

He grinned for a moment before it slipped, realizing what she was really asking. Leon’s cheeks burned again as it dawned on him what he just suggested.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Oh!" Neko slipped off Leon's lap and curled up next to him, tail twitching behind her. "Thank you for liking," she said, tilting her head and smiling sweetly. "There are many things to eat here," she added, nodding her head at the words. "My favorites are the ones with movies. I am going to watch Ōdishon next, have you seen that?" She cocked her head to the side as she looked over at Naomi, eyes going wide as she silently observed the other girl. "It might be too gory. I watch those on weekends, Danica does not like them." 

[secondling]

Legatus

 

"It's good to relax over break. Take it easy, figure out what you're doing and..." Felix abruptly laughed at himself. "Now I'm just talking about my own feelings about the summer. Anyways, you never know what might come up during the summer. Not as much structure for us means more chance to end trouble. Or get into it." He winked, before turning his eyes to the pool.

 

"I understand what it feels like to be an outsider." He said, his smile genuine but slightly sad. "I am from around here, but... well, my upbringing was more than a little weird compared to some folks'." So many opportunities missed. Such a strange life, compared to the average person's. Need to figure out how to keep in touch with others, otherwise I'm going to end up disconnected from people.

 

He took a slow breath, releasing it in a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "You're from Puerto Rico, though?" The way he says the name is oddly accented - not Spanish, but not American English either. "What brought you to Claremont, then?"

[MoonSimply]

La Puma Negra (Carmen)

 

Carmen would giggle again as he winked at her, looking over in the general direction of the pool as he did. It was at the point she realized that maybe she wasn't the only one far away from home, or maybe lacking one in general, "Yes, I am from Puerto Rico. The school invited me... or well sponsored me to come here. I lived in an orphanage on the east side, so the church sends me a small stipend to live here a little more comfortably."

 

"But really, I'm here to find some sort of purpose. I think that is helping people, or at least trying to do so, " she turned her head to face Felix. Yellow eyes, eyes that seemed so close to a human, yet cat like in nature, stared at him inquisitively. There was a feeling, a thought, that maybe something wasn't right with him. That there was far more than what was let on about the upperclassmen. She could quite wrap her mind around it. His accent, foreign to her, but near everyone's accent was different from what she was accustomed to, in a language that was really only her second so to speak.

 

"Why are you here at Claremont?"

Edited July 22, 2022 by MoonSimply

[Nerdzul]

On 7/13/2022 at 7:29 AM, EternalPhoenix said:

A whispered “Aerus Servinius” sent a slightly forceful splash of water over Luke. “Nobody wants to ride on your shoulders, you goon.” Her tone was warm, however, taking the sting out of the words. “You gotta be smoother if you want to touch a girl.” She was just floating in the water, really. “You boys want to start a water fight I’ll school you good. Otherwise it’s whatever.” She was in a good mood, honestly. She liked this place.

 

 

 

"Their loss." Luke smirked and shrugged exaggeratedly not before finding himself under Effigy's assault.  "Hey..." He objected, the smile not having left his face though and his tone more enthusiastic than irritated. 

 

"School us? Challenge Accepted." He bowed his head a little in a playfully mock gesture of courtesy, raising a small weave of poolwater of his own toward the fiery pyromancer (that might or might not have been enhanced by an echo of his wings). 

He threw a glance at Leon and Neko, a grin on his lips and did his best to avoid showering the two with his next 'attack'. 

 

On 7/13/2022 at 5:56 AM, Avenger Assembled said:

Owain looked at Luke, looked at Neko on Leon's lap, looked at Luke again, looked at Legatus and Carmen over by the edge of the pool, and then suddenly splashed Luke in the face. "Ah-hah!" he declared. "I have you!" 

 

 

"Hey man... We boys are supposed to work together, you know?" Luke smiled at him though.

 

Spoiler

OOC: Sorry if took me a while and for the short reply. (btw just in case feel free to skip me in the future ok?)

 

 

[Avenger Assembled]

A little while later, the party had shifted around a little. Owain had (very carefully) stepped out of the pool and donned an oversized Hawaiian shirt over his board shorts, while Neko had taken out her shamisen again and was playing something in Japanese while a small group of identical-seeming bobtailed cats formed around her to watch her show appreciatively. There were plenty of snacks to eat yet, and the pool still beckoned. 

 

"Leon! A word, if I might," said Owain, approaching the other boy and keeping his voice low. "Somewhere...a bit more private?" 

[Spacefurry]

Time passed as it did for youth at a pool; wet, wild, and far too quickly.

Neko had eventually abandoned his lap and he had apologized to Naomi for anything he’d say to embarrass her. He had used his paper to create a beach ball and a couple of floats for any who wanted to use them. He’d hopped into the water himself to join the fun with his roommate and the others.

All in all, the day was turning out nicely. Warm weather, warm water, good music, cool friends and hot girls. Just what the doctor ordered, Leon grinned to himself as he glanced around at said girls.

 

‘Even Wilona looks pretty cute when she’s not running her mouth and being a massive pain in the a-‘

 

On 9/2/2022 at 10:04 PM, Avenger Assembled said:

"Leon! A word, if I might," said Owain, approaching the other boy and keeping his voice low.

 

Owain broke into his thoughts and Leon looked around to him.

“Sup?”

He asked giving his schoolmate a friendly smile.

 

On 9/2/2022 at 10:04 PM, Avenger Assembled said:

"Somewhere...a bit more private?" 

 

“Hm? Oh… ah, okay.”

He raised an eyebrow at Owain’s conspiratorial hushed tone, but nodded and followed him off around the pool house.

Once the other boy seemed satisfied with their privacy he waited for Owain to speak.

[Avenger Assembled]

In private, Owain put his hand on Leon's shoulder, then seemed to reconsider it, then did it again, then said: 

 

"I will say it plainly, friend. Neko lacks father or brother in this place and time, and our hosts the Espadases are - not inclined to play the role that a head of household must. So I must ask - what are your intentions towards her?" He spoke - well, not with hostility, but with what seemed to be a deep, brotherly concern there in the relative privacy of a mostly abandoned pool house. 

[Spacefurry]

Leon glanced at Owain’s hand as the other put it on his shoulder, removed it, then put it back again. He gave Owain an inquisitive look.

 

On 9/8/2022 at 11:17 PM, Avenger Assembled said:

"I will say it plainly, friend. Neko lacks father or brother in this place and time, and our hosts the Espadases are - not inclined to play the role that a head of household must. So I must ask - 

 

As the other boy spoke Leon nodded appropriately. He knew the two were not just out of place, but out of time. And while he hadn’t directly thought about it, what Owain was saying was obvious and he was a little surprised at himself for not thinking about it beforehand.

 

On 9/8/2022 at 11:17 PM, Avenger Assembled said:

 - what are your intentions towards her?" 

 

Leon stared blankly at Owain for a moment before laughing.

“Oh my god… You had me for a minute there. Did Luke put you up to the is?”

He glanced back the way the two had walked to see if his roommate had followed them to witness the prank.

“Not gonna lie, you really had me in the first half.”

When he looked back at Owain he was still chuckling. When he actually looked back at the other boy’s serious expression Leon’s laughter quickly tapered off and he gave Owain a curious look.

“Holy hell, you’re serious aren’t you.”

 

 

Leon quickly raised his hands defensively as if to fend off any anger from Owain.

“Sorry man, no offense meant.”

He lowered one hand and rubbed the back of his head with the other.

“Look, we’re just friends having a little fun. It’s not like I’d actually have a real shot with her or anything. Or any of the girls to be honest.”

Leon muttered the last bit before giving a short exhaled sigh.

“I only have one more year here and just wanted to enjoy being close to girls that weren’t trying to kill me, my friends, or a club full of innocent bystanders.”

He spread his hands a hint of defeat creeping into his voice, completely different from the normal cockiness he projects.

“A girlfriend just doesn’t seem to be in the cards for me.”

Leon seemed to pull himself together again and he forced a smile.

“What I’m saying is, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m not gonna get close enough to hurt her.”

[Avenger Assembled]

"I am not wise to the ways of women," admitted Owain, who come to think of it Leon had never seen so much as look at a girl. "But I can tell the look in Neko's eye when no one else casts their gaze her way. If you have no intentions, she has them for you." He sighed. "Perhaps I have said too much. It can be difficult to swim in the waters of three worlds at once." 

[secondling]

Legatus

 

"Sponsored, huh?" Felix eyed the younger woman thoughtfully. "They did it for me, too. More or less." He scratched his chin. Though now that I think about it, I'm not wholly positive who's paying for my education at Claremont. Shaking the thought away, he looked at her sympathetically when she mentioned being an orphan. "Yet another thing we have in common. Probably. I've never met my parents, anyways, so I'm close enough to be an orphan, I figure."

 

He laughed aloud, before holding up a hand to forestall any offense. "I'm not laughing at your reason to come to Claremont, just at the similarities between us, and the differences. You see, I'm here for a similar reason, but with the opposite... direction, I guess?" Felix sighed. "I came to Claremont because I needed to learn how to be a normal person in a place where I wouldn't be a cause for chaos if I lost control of my strength and hurt someone... and myself."

 

He looked away. "You see, I was raised to be a hero. Helping people was all I knew when I was young. Or rather, it was the goal towards which all of my education was aimed. Coming to Claremont was a step towards 'normal' for me, rather than a step towards heroism, I guess."