ic Children of the Land

[alderwitch]

It was more Leilani's concern than any of her mentors that had her hiding in the building where any accident would be kept to a minimum but eventually 'stir-crazy' won out over 'paranoid that she might set all the things on fire' as far as emotional motivation. She'd never been one to lounge about indoors when the ocean beckoned and at least surrounded by water, any agitation would probably only flash fry a few fish. At least, that was the hope that had her setting out for the water's edge. 

 

Leilani didn't think that surfing through the sky would ever get old but it wasn't the same as the ocean. She was more than a little noticeable riding the flames that she generated towards the waterfront. Landing was still just a little dicy so she over shot the piers deliberately for the deeper waters where she'd hopefully not cannonball into any errant swimmers. It seemed unlikely. Even during the summer, the Atlantic was a much less friendly creature than her beloved bay. 

 

Spitting out sea water, she came up laughing as the water dissipated the residual heat quickly. Eventually she was really going to have to learn how to land.

[angrydurf]

Seeing flaming human forms hurtling through the skies wasn't that unusual in freedom city.  Certainly not enough to automatically clear a beach or anything particularly not a a warm summer day.  The deep water splash down did however catch Kimos attention, Fire and water did not mix so well and they might be in trouble after all, and if they weren't they might be a threat.  He was pelting across the beach from his tower torp in hand while most of the beach goers were just fishing out their cells to snap pictures or record the potential action.  

 

As he hit the water he took a deep breath and dove into the surf powerful strokes propelling him through the water at speed, not the best for maintaining a cover maybe but he wasn't exactly good about that to start with.  Arriving moments after Leilani surfaced he did a double take and paled like he'd seen a ghost for a moment before shaking it off.  As he bobbed in front of her it was clear she wasn't in distress, "Aloha."  he greeted falling into island cadences by rote at her appearance, "You all right?"  he asked as he easily treaded water in the choppy seas.

[alderwitch]

Leilani turned at the movement in her peripheral vision although at the familiar cadence she promptly relaxed, "Aloha," she replied to the greeting. "Bit far from the islands, yeah? Don't think I overshot that much," she joked as she paddled to keep in place with the smooth, steady strokes of a practiced swimmer. "Nah, nah. I'm fine. Didn't mean to startle people. My landings, they aren't so good yet."

 

It didn't take too much to realize that while she was bobbing up and down in the rougher waters, her companion might as well have been wearing a life jacket for how little he submerged with the waves. "That's a trick." She commented in appreciation. Water abilities sounded way better than setting everything on fire at the moment.

[angrydurf]

Dipping in the waves slightly at her words he gave a casual shrug, "Always been strong swimmer, Eh!"  Kimo replied in a slow rolling tones.  "Go foa school an eriding." he explained his presence so far from home and raised a brow, "You?"  inquiring casually to her own distance from the islands.  "You just here ta visit? Or just da' kine?"  he asked pantomiming her fiery entrance.

 

"I workin now,"  Kimo explained gesturing to the beach, "pua hana bumbye tho."  he added with the implied invite that they could catch up after he clocked out.  Leilani could feel the currents shift subtley as he turned toward the beach, "Jalike?"  he asked both an offer for a quicker swim to shore and meeting up after he was off duty shortly.

[alderwitch]

"Ho brah..." she said, giving a small shake of her head to show that her presence in the city was a long, damn story and probably best told after he was off work. Leilani bobbed her head in agreement as she went to follow him towards the beach with sure, steady strokes. Once they were in shallow enough water to stand, she realized she'd not even offered so much as her name. 

 

"Where my manners... I'm Leilani. Leilani Keli'i. You?" She said as she turned towards the much larger Kimo.

[angrydurf]

The swell they caught and rode in as they swam was perhaps not overtly supernatural but it didn't take much experience with the ocean to see it was certainly not a natural wave either and it dissipated far enough offshore to avoid too much notice on the beach as they came in.  Standing as the water grew shallow Kimo smiled down at her with a knowing nod.  "Kay den."  he replied and sloshed through the surf as she introduced herself easily answering in kind, "Kimo."  With a wide friendly smile as he turned to face her, "Dat's funny I have an Autie name lei-"  his turn let her see the wash of disbelief cross his face as the surname caught his ear a moment behind his own reply 

 

"Not!"  Kimo exclaimed and shook his head then leaned in to peer closely at her, "Chu say Leilani keli'i?"  he wondered aloud, "My guys all Keli'i outta Hilo."  he explained, "My gran has a sistah, or had a sistah, she gone though..."  he stared at her with a suspicious look and volcanic avatar or no they were gonna have issues should she be trying to pull one over on him, "Her name Leilani."  he finished crossing his arms over his chest and staring her down as one of hte other guards came down the beach in case there was trouble.  Kimo didn't even turn his head, "Bruddah cover me."  he said and the fellow lifeguard smirked, "Got ya Bro." he replied clearly thinking Kimo and leilani were going to be having a much better time than was likely to be the case.

[alderwitch]

Leilani blanched, but to her credit, the water lapping against her legs only hissed rather than turning to boiling froth. The sound, however, yanked Leilani out of the moment of panic and she took the time to focus and will the heat back down to wherever she drew it from. 

 

"That's me," she said, the pronunciation careful and the tone just a little tight. "Lost in'a storm in the 1960s."

 

Hell, what were the odds that she'd run into some cousin, or nephew, she supposed, out here in Freedom City. Fate, it seemed, was determined not to let her hide from what had become of her family for ever. "Daughter of Mary Keil'i, outta Hilo. I washed up a few weeks ago on'a beach. Freedom League picked me up, thankfully."

[angrydurf]

Kimo's frown lasted a few ticks longer then he shook his head and broke into a broad grin as ushered her up the beach, "Ho ho!"  he exclaimed in amusement, "My gran always say you not wash out tah sea!"  he jovially extolled and swept her up in a sudden, just shy of crushing, hug, "So what happen?"  he asks enthusiastically as he returns her to her feet, "Granny Laka say you get take by de spirits, too good a swimmer fo no storm take."  he shook his head still amused and murmured to himself, "Me aunties always say she jus couldn't 'cept it but ho now she must be lettin em have what for wit it."  he thought alound then paused and eyed her carefully, "Ho now, they no tell me bout you come back or be outta here now?"  he clarified and squinted, "You haen't tol em yet."  he finally said with a shake of his head.

 

He pulled her up toward a burger shack on the boardwalk, " 'salright I'll get you all dere numbas an I sure da league can help you get home ta visit." Kimo explained with and easy going smile at the revelations, falling into the familiar patterns of family with her as quickly as that.

[alderwitch]

Leilani grunted as she was picked up and hugged enthusiastically. She expected it and normally was much more demonstrative herself but her family remained a source of mixed emotion. Confronting their current existence meant accepting the family she knew as gone. "They already offer," Leilani replied reluctantly, giving Kimo a vague pat on the arms as she was propped down on her feet, "But they already move on, yeah? Don't really wanna stir up sorrow thats already been put to bed."

 

She paused and then, almost hesitantly, "Laka, she have a good life?"

 

Leilani didn't fight getting tugged up towards burgers, nor had she really answered what had happened to her that stormy morning. Of course, she still had no clue as to why her transformation had occurred in the first place, "The Freedom League, they been good to me. Helping me getting things under control and all."

[angrydurf]

Looking incredulously down at Leilani a broad grin split Kimos face and he shook with a deep belly laugh at her reply, "Auntie you take a knock on tha head when you crash?"  he inquired sarcastically, "You think ohana give up that easy?"  He held the door for her with a quiet smile still dancing on his features, "Gran is good, she always say you gonna turn up bumbye."  he offered with a shrug, "Aunties all complain how you go missing an they moms all say no surfing fo long time."  He teased lightly, "So you got that to answer for."  

 

Stepping into the burger shack he ordered a pair of bar-b-que burgers with sweet onions, a mountain of fries and a shake then glanced to his long lost aunt, "An what she wants too brah,"  Adding to Leilani, "My treat"  Once their order was placed he leaned back to await the foods arrival and looked to her quizzically, "They all gonna want to see you you know."

[alderwitch]

"I don remember," Leilani retorted, bristling at the term Auntie. "An not that much older than you." The fire in her mis-matched eyes likely did more to confirm her identity than any other story. No doubt her siblings had included stories of her temper among whatever other family tales that had been handed down. 

 

Despite her scowl, her skin remained cool under his hand and she didn't fight being maneuvered into the burger shack. She gave a small, stubborn shake of her head - ordering her meal in terse words, "They gonna have to wait till I'm sure I not gonna set the whole hale a'fire. The Leilani they knew might as well be dead. What I gonna have in common, huh?" She spread her hands wide almost in disgust at her athletic form, "Can't go back to how things used to be now - only way is forward."

[angrydurf]

Kimo laughed with a shake of his head, "You still my grans older sistah, brah."  he pointed out and sunk down at a table with their food on a tray.  "You not ready you just say that,"  He suggested with a shrug clearly not understanding why she'd be hesitant to introduce herself to a family of which only the most elderly had known here enough to mourn her absence.  "But I tell you wha, you lolo you think they don't want to see you."  He seemed to leave it at that for the moment however.  "Forward sound awful lonely tho."

 

He dug into his burgers with gusto and took a long drink of the shake to wash down the massive bite.  "So where they got you stayin?"  he asked more casually, "An I ain't gonna boddah you with any more da' kine." he acknowledged, "Maybe we get you a board and find some waves."  he shot her a wink at the last as one thing Kim never struggled to find even in Freedom was worthwhile surf.

[alderwitch]

"I not ready," Leilani said immediately and pulled her tray over with far more restraint than Kimo displayed. Still, she brightened at the last offer, "You know where there some good surf? The waves here all messy. No good breaks I found yet." Leilani commented with a true surfer's disdain. She'd managed to surf a bit but thus far had found Freedom City's offerings disappointing. 

 

Absently starting to pick at her food, she replied, "Freedom League took me in. Gaian Knight an Comrade Frost been showing me how to not flash fry everyt'ing 'round. Is slow going but I getting there. Can surf in the air which is pretty good but I gotta long way to go."

[angrydurf]

"Hey not bad."  Kimo congratulated, "I got a roommate that was a vegan, you ever smell microwave vegan food?"  the big man shuddered then glanced up at his great aunt and shrugged, "Probably not yea?  S'ok for da best."  He suggested with a grin as he polished off the first burger and sunk into the next with equal enthusiasm.  Setting the burger down after few bites hi lifted his water cup with a wide smile, "Auntie, I bring da surf where I go no way I be in Freedom oddahwise"  he explained and with a little twirl of his finger set the surface rolling in perfect miniature breaks. 

[alderwitch]

"What's vegan?" Leilani asked, blinking once at the term. She took a few more bites of her food before elaborating, "I don't gotta roommate. Though probably need to find a job at some point. Can't compete anymore." One of many things sacrificed due to her odd abilities. As she watched Kimo's water trick, Leilani shook off the frustration with certain rules and arched her brows, "You are a meta. It run in the family or something?"

 

Leilani had certainly never heard of it in all of the stories she knew about their family but it seemed odd that there'd be two elemental humans in the same extended family without something tying them together. "You do ice'n all or just the water?"

[angrydurf]

"Crazy haoles don eat nothin from animals, no meat, no cheese, no eggs, nothin."  Kimo explained with a shrug, "Might be able get you work where I work you still strong swimmer?"  he offered and suggested at once.  Taking a long drink of his shake he shook his head, "Nah not da' kind."  Kimo waved off here query, "Mostly just the water."  he said somewhat humbly, "Strong too."  the big hawaiian added as an afterthought.  He paused thoughtfully and shrugged, "I the only one I ever hear of but granma Laka she say we have blood of the old Kahunas yea?"  Kimo offered with a shrug, "League probably know more bout it than me though if htey been checking you out an all."

[alderwitch]

"Laka stay lolo. We never so fancy," Leilani snorted with the easy dismissal of an older sister. Dipping her fry in the ketchup, she gave a little shrug of her shoulders, "Still not sure where it all comes from. Not sure it matters much."

 

She sat back in her chair then and gave a shrug of her shoulders. "Strong enough swimmer, yeah. I jus sink if I go shift into rock-lady form. But don't need to breathe then so no biggie. I maybe take you up on that. Might be nice to do something familiar, yeah?"

[angrydurf]

"See dat what all my Aunties say."  Kimo agreed with a hearty laugh.  "I dunno, never found out what I got going on but it didn't come up like what you do."  he offered shrugging as he polished off hte last of his food and eyed the fries on her plate.  "I put in a good word for you they love me down there."  he replied confidently, "Also always like more pretty girls on the beach."  he teased with a laugh and paused as a thought occurred, "You get all set with like ID and all that?"  He paused carefully before adding, "I mean Laka or someoen might have some old papers if you need dem."  he suggested and shrugged, "But you got Freedom League contacts so probably not so much yea?"

[alderwitch]

"Nah nah nah," Leilani demurred with a short bark of laughter, "Happens often enough with the Freedom League that I guess they got protocols for people outta time. Easier, apparently, as I was born in the last hundred years or so. Such a thing, to have enough people crop up frozen or lost or whatever. I be surprised they not start a support group." 

 

Still bemused, she shrugged her shoulders once more before finally pausing, "So, my mom - your great granmama, I guess, she be gone, yeah?" Intellectually, Leilani knew that had to be almost certainly true but it was one thing to do the math and another to have it confirmed. It was on the tip of her tongue to follow up with other questions like when and how. Instead she swallowed those words and reached for her water glass.

[angrydurf]

Nodding along Kimo smiled at the observation, "Yea it seem like."  he agreed and raised a brow, "So you got people help with all that too?"  he asked carefully not sure what he could offer other than an ear to listen and an impressive collection of gilbert and sullivan on DVD.  "I no imagine that."  he shook his head, "Well you may be gone long time but you still ohana Auntie don't forget yea?"  he settled on with a smile not prying further.

 

He struggled not to smile at her question as to her sister as she was obviously upset at the prospect, "No no."  he spoke up quickly, "Laka around still, she say she not gonna die till one'a us get her poi recipe right."  he wrinkled his nose for all her wonderful skills in the kitchen Granny Lakas poi was not on the top of his list.

[alderwitch]

"Well some things never change at least," Leilani relaxed minutely at that. She'd have to face the future of the rest of the family she'd left behind in time eventually but one at a time. Leilani glanced down to see her cup bubbling in her hand as she'd begun to boil her ice water unthinkingly. Grimacing, she went to scoot back automatically. 

 

"I should get back, speaking of which." She demurred. It wasn't like someone would be worried about her absence but the minor reminder was more than enough to reinforce the bubble Leilani kept from the potentially flammable. "It... Its nice to meet you." She said, and she meant it. "An I'll keep in mind that job. Might be nice to have some pocket money. Lemme give you my number." She jotted that down quickly and stepped back before the large man could catch her in another effusive hug.