ic Down the Unfamiliar Road

[Tiffany Korta]

Daphne quickly discovered that she didn't have any ability at surfing not that she didn't try, she carefully listened to Leilani's instructions but it she just couldn't get a handle on things.

 

Even though she seemed to spend more time in the water she wasn't disheartened at kept trying her best, and was definitely enjoying the entire experience.

[Fox]

"Perhaps it was best that I stuck with swimming," Indira hummed, gliding past the surfers, toward the shore. "Besides being too heavy for a board, that is. Getting back on after falling off would have been an interesting ordeal. It looks very fun, though."

 

Her idea of "swimming" was very briefly seen as she hit the sand, looking for all the world like a life-sized steel-cast model of some alien movie horror, before it casually melted away and reformed into a more familiar woman-shaped profile. Kimber has issued a challenge on behalf of their honor, and she was hardly going to disappoint; even her hair seemed ready, slowly wrapping itself back in a loose ponytail of its own accord. "I will try to not cheat, too much," she solemnly promised, taking her place at her best friend's side of the net, "but I cannot make any promises."

[angrydurf]

Banking the coals and shuffling the food around the grill so it would stay warm without overcooking Kimo determined he'd done his manly duty in preparing food for the party and could afford a set or two on the waves.  Jogging out he pulled his longboard up under his arm with deceptive ease as he headed into the surf.  He smiled and laughed with a shake of his head at Leilani's, 'Short Short version' of surf instruction.  "You gotta feel da wave."  he offered as daphne coasted into shore.  "Don try stand righ off."  he explained further as he watched the waves rolling in and as Leilani finished her run they slowed ever so slightly, "Count da breaks,"  he suggested and pointed out counting up as the waves broke and rolled, "these commin in sets of seven."  he explained as a longer valley followed the last of the set.

 

"Then you look for a channel,"  he pointed to where the waves drained back to see a deep calm stretch with minimal waves, "Wait for the break in da set and push out."  he instructed and launched into a smooth glide down the channel motioning for Daphne to follow.  Strong sure strokes carried him out into the waves beyond the break and into the line where they could ride out the swells and wait for the right wave.  Shaking the water from his curled locks as he waited for Daphne to catch up he sat up on the board and let the roll of the sea build the rhythm of his speech.  

 

"Now you gotta pick a wave an you start ta paddle to stay on top it till da break."  he explained, "Then don worry about standing first time just get a feel for how the board moves on the wave get used to the push and the turn yea?"  the big Hawaiian had clearly done these instructions before,  'When you ready you get up on da knee den if you wan try stand yea?"  he offered smoothly and picked his wave, "I show you now."  he called out and pulled himself forward on the board as strong arms propelled him to the top of the swell and he smoothly rose to his feet as the power of the wave carried him shoreward and he stepped back and forth in almost dance like motions on the length of the board as he pivoted and rode up and down the wave before dropping down the back of the wave and back to sit and paddle back to the channel and back toward the line.

[alderwitch]

Leilani stared only very briefly at Indira's natural form before giving a shake of her head to redirect her attention. She gave Dimitri a little wave before heading back into the surf with her board. The young woman was clearly in her element, for once, and happily so. The Atlantic might be a different creature than her familiar waters back home, but far less changed from ocean to ocean than all her many, other changes. Straddling the board, she bobbed in the waves to watch Kimo's far better instruction. Leilani was not the most patient of creatures and she could easily admit that her easy-going nephew made a better teacher than she likely ever would. 

 

"You don't want more'n one rider per wave - it's not safe. You gotta go with the wave and it risks some nasty collisions. Etiquette says if you see someone going for a wave, you wait for the next good one." Leilani explained with a brief smile, offering the information in case the surfing bug bit Daphne. "You go on next. Just like Kimo do it."

[April]

"Just the leaves?  Maybe," Eve said with a grin.  "Though I'm not sure I could really pull off the Greek statue look, I just don't have the height for it," she added with a chuckle, gesturing at her torso.  She looked past the screen of her phone for a moment, watching everyone enjoying themselves in various ways and judging it good returned her undivided attention to Becky.

 

"Speaking of trips, Mother and Ring would like to fly in one weekend to meet you."  She was still smiling, but she shrugged, "Just you three.  Mother's just excited but Isabel... do you know she laughed when I said I had a Canadian fiance?  She asked if you really existed, I wanted to kick her in the shin."

 

Eve gave her head a little shake, "Getting a little tired of that joke."

[Gizmo]

Becky had her mouth open to say something about statuary and foliage when Eve casually mentioned her family wanting to visit. "Wait, what?" The brunette scrabbled up to her feet in a sudden panic, looking about the room and inadvertently giving her fiancé an out of focus view of the lower half of her swimsuit over the video chat. "Oh god, my apartment is terrible. They're going to hate my apartment and then they'll hate me. Wait, no. They'll want to stay at a nice hotel, I'll come up with some sort of excuse. Fumigating! No, god, they'd think I have fleas." The feed shuddered as she picked her laptop up from the coffee table covered in candles and sat back down of the couch, the sound of furious typing clacking its way through the speaker's of Eve's phone. "Restaurants, I should make reservations now, somewhere fancy. Do they have food allergies? Wine! I need to learn about wine!"

[Fox]

At prompting from the others, Indira snaked an arm out for the volleyball, giving it a careful look-over as she hefted it in one hand. "I have never played," she admitted, turning the ball over in her hand. "It should be an interesting experience. I shall...serve?"

 

Tossing the ball once or twice to get a feel for its weight, the young woman finally threw it up, took a careful step, and performed a solid (if slightly inaccurate) overhand hit that sent the ball sailing over the net toward their opponents' feet with somewhat more force than her human-seeming frame would have allowed.

[Electra]

"Careful, careful, careful, careful," Jessie murmured to herself bouncing on the balls of her feet in the sand as she waited for the ball to come her way. The cool sand felt good on her bare feet, even if it made for slightly imprecise footing. She watched as the ball arced over the net, high and steep and angled just a little closer to her than Aquaria. "Got it," she called, stepping forward and bumping the ball with her forearms, just like back in PE class. The ball flew high and wide, landing out of bounds but still right next to the court. Jessie grinned with relief, proud of her own restraint. 

[Avenger Assembled]

In response to Jessie's mighty blow, unmatched by either of their rivals, Aquaria leaped in the air higher than she was tall and bellowed in a booming bass, eyes wide and mouth open. "Whoop!" Aquaria wasn't subtle in her movements or intentions - one of the things that made her volume compatible with Jessie's nerves was that Jessie always knew exactly when the loud noises were about to happen. She landed neatly on four feet, green and white skin, and inhumanly powerful muscles, rippling beneath her blue tattoos. "Victory will be ours," she croaked to the other team. 

 

On the beach, Dimitri and Tarva sat quietly near each other on the sand, one watching the sea and the other the land, similiar intentions on the minds of the two mystics. With Leilani out in the surf, Comrade Frost's posture had changed just enough that his feelings for the young woman were considerably more obvious. 

[Gizmo]

The volleyball twitched seemingly of its own accord before bursting into a rapid spin like a top, sending bits of sand spewing in all directions. A moment later it flung itself into the air to hover in front of Kimber's folded arms. "Don't count your fish before they're caught," the Canadian warned, reaching out to palm the ball. She was competitive enough that she almost pointed out that hitting the ball out of bounds made it their point but after catching the expression on Jessie's face she decided that didn't really matter anyway. "This isn't my first rodeo; being intangible doesn't get you out of gym class with Mr. Archer."

 

She tossed the ball high into the air then leaped after it, matching the height Aquaria had achieved if a little less honestly. The hand she brought down to spike the ball, however, was powered entirely by the simulacrum of muscles afforded to her by her scythe's enchantment, sending it rocketing toward the ground right between the girls on the other side of the net.

[Avenger Assembled]

Aquaria leaped for the ball, her tongue lashing out and snatching the fast-moving ball right out of the air. She landed, the ball fitting inside her gigantic aquatic mouth with a scale like a human biting into a large apple, then spat the thing out into her hands. "Apologies," she croaked, rotating the ball back and forth between her long fingers. "It is sticky! That was a catch." She was obviously about to throw the now-slimy ball over the fence before she seemed to catch herself - with one big leap, she hopped over to one of the discarded beach towels and wiped the ball clean of sticky Deep One spit.

 

With a toss back over the net, she hopped back to Jessie's side of the line. 

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Daphne listened to everything Lealani and Kimo had to say and with a great deal of determination tries to apply everything that they had suggested. She really tried but she couldn’t seem to stay on the board for more than a few seconds before she again fell into the water. Not that she seemed have been discouraged by her failure, breaking from the water again with a broad grin on her face.

 

“Sorry I’m not sure what I'm doing wrong here, but I can’t seem to be able to stay on the board. Maybe it’s because I’m more at home in space? It just looked so much easier when Elvis did it!”

 

Even with her downer not she was already climbing back on her board togo and paddle back out.

[Electra]

"I think that counts as another point for you guys," Jessie offered, after only grimacing a little at her teammate almost swallowing the ball. "I'm not very good at sports," she admitted. That was something of an understatement, really. Erin had told her about all the practice she'd had to do at Claremont before she could play basketball or baseball at all, and there were still sports she'd probably never be quite disciplined enough to play. Jessie hadn't gotten any of that practice, save for a few impromptu frisbee games at Project Freedom, so it was a lot more hit or miss. She began looking around, wondering if there were any marshmallows to be had and if the food would be ready soon. The darkness was starting to feel a little oppressive, but the bonfire looked very cozy. "What score are we playing to?" she asked, turning back to the net and resetting her stance. 

[angrydurf]

Kimo slid down the back of a wave dropping to dangle his legs on each side as the swell passed.  "You doin good."  he cheered daphne on, "It take some time get da hang of it."  he assured her as he paddled back toward the channel and back past the swells, "Don't focus on da standing just get up out the water and feel how da board moves."  he advised as usual the slow and steady approach.  "then you find the balance and it be da kine yea?" he ambiguously explained as he waited for Leilani to finish her set and looked to his aunt, "Me aunty probably say just keep fallin till you stop though so you do what work eh?"  he suggested with a smile and when it was his turn took another slow and simple ride in to shore stepping up and down the board with surprising grace for a man his size.

[April]

Eve made a pleased sound when the rest of Becky's swimsuit came into view, a corner of her mind noting and appreciating the Canadian's commitment to the flag motif.  Becky must have heard my 'I'm not from Paris,' rant more than a few times, Eve thought.  Settling back into her chair, and allowing her mind to wander to more basic thoughts that had nothing to do with flags.  "Kitten," she said after a moment, "They're not testing you love, they just want to meet you and discuss wedding stuff."

 

"So please put that aside and stop worrying so much or I'm going to have to tickle your thigh again," Eve said with an impish grin.

[Gizmo]

"This is going to be the Atlantean state dinner all over again," Becky muttered morosely to herself but Eve's reassurances were at least enough to convince her to pause her impromptu research and adjust the laptop display until her face was in frame again. "That's easy for you to say," the brunette grumbled, "but you know how quickly you make up your mind about people. I need to make a good first impression with them!" She repositioned herself until she was more comfortable, appropriating the throw resting across the back of the couch and pulling it around her shoulders. Looking somewhat placated despite her objections, she couldn't entirely avoid returning her fiancé's smile. "If you're planning on many it that sort of call you'd better have brought headphones or--"

 

She was interrupted as a volleyball impacted unerringly with Eve's lap. "Sorry!" Kimber shouted from next to the net, hovering a meter or so in the air with her hands clasped in front of her and a guilty expression. "Maybe should have stuck to the telekinesis..."

[Avenger Assembled]

"We have fought to a draw," croaked Aquaria. "It was a good game." She was unsure how to propose a compromise, not when she didn't think rolling on her belly and kicking her legs would have the same meaning here that it did elsewhere. "Jessie, you are my podmate..." She gave a little jump and twisted her upper body slightly. "...and I will go clean Baxter's voidings," she said, not needing to have turned her head to see what the dog had been discreetly doing in the sand when she and Jessie were busy with the game. If it had been her decision, she'd have simply left it there, but Surfacers were finicky about such things. 

[Electra]

Jessie dashed over and retrieved the ball from Eve, checking her over for any possible injury while doing so. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" she repeated, trying to brush sand from Eve with her hands. "That was bad, I shouldn't have set it like that. Are you okay?" She set the ball down next to the net, giving it a surreptitious baleful look for causing problems. Baxter, much relieved now, came over to give it a sniff so she sat down in the sand and began to pet him, relaxing when he whumpfed down next to her and let her scratch his ears. "Sports are hard for superhero type people." 

[Fox]

"Yes, very," Indira agreed, finding a place she could stand to be mostly out of peoples' way and, at the same time, not sink down into the sand too much. She'd grown her feet a bit to help compensate, and was sincerely hoping no one would notice.

 

"It is difficult to not cheat, too. My instinct when a ball is thrown at me is to stop it by slicing it in half or catching it...on a spike," she admitted, looking sheepish. "If I wanted to catch and throw it, I would extend an arm by many feet, and perhaps grow more legs to anchor myself to the ground as I swung it back. These things are not within the rules of the game as I understand it." She smiled, adjusting her cloth as she turned her head to watch the others having fun. "Perhaps one day we can arrange a...fully-powered game, of some kind? Not enough to hurt anyone, but enough that we can actually play."

[Thunder King]

The gathering of the strange and wonderful drew Mali to the beach. She found Eve, her anchor in the oddness, lounging and talking with her fiance. So, without making a big deal of it, she walked up.

 

"So, there I was, lifting, you know, like I do. Headphones in my ear, music blaring....did not check my phone. I would have been here sooner, but you know things are." 

 

She dropped a chair near-ish the one Eve was sitting in, and unfolded it. She was wearing a modest bikini, dark red against well tanned skin. It was obvious that she'd gotten a bit of ink in recent days. A tiger on her shoulder, a little writing in Thai near her ankle. Her short cropped hair was sticking out in all directions, and she wore the latest sunglasses.

 

"So, been a while, thanks for the invite." she glanced around and just, smiled."Great day for the beach."

[Avenger Assembled]

Aquaria left the Surfacers to their talk and play, and bounded away for a few moments to take in the sea and its bounties again. She dived deep, making powerful strokes to take her underneath Leilani and her surfing lessons, watching from the sandy bottom with dark eyes peering upwards at the dark sky overhead. She hung there for a moment, then kept moving. She swam further out and lay in wait, her gills opening as she held perfectly still, waiting for nearby fish to swim too close to her recumbent form. 

 

This far down, away from the sound of Surfacer voices and the smell of Surfacer food, it was easy to imagine another party on the beach - one with skin drums played beneath the light of the moon, dancing and singing loud enough to make the King and Queen Below smile, fish and game roasting on spits or simply being gobbled up by those too hungry to wait, the fry dancing and hopping in the tidepools for treats thrown them by their elders...

 

When she reached the surface, Aquaria stood on a sand bar and looked up at the skies overhead, blotting out the moon with one outstretched hand, a half-visible shape against the starry horizon to the people on the beach. Water on her green and white tattooed skin, gigantic eyes staring up in the dark, looking down at herself she could see little of the woman who lived in an apartment with Jessie White. 

 

-

 

When Leilani returned from her time in the water, Dimitri was there and all smiles, ready with a bit of roasted fish for her. "Magnificent! That was, er, truly magnificent. Ah, if I could join you out there! But the view was better from here anyway. Come sit down," he encouraged her, "tell us tales of your prowess at sea!" Tarva waved a greeting as well, the shadow-witch focused on eating a fairly large hunk of meat she'd snagged herself from the fire. She'd always been a woman of strong appetites. 

[Tiffany Korta]

By the time they stopped Daphne had made a little progress on the board, she could just about stay on the board and go along with the wave. This was a small victory but enough for Daphne who until today had only seen surfing on the television, not that she would have been put off by her lack off success. Bounding up the beach, like she'd seen many times on TV, she shifted her wetsuit back to her sensible bikini that she'd worn the water falling off of the space aged material. Her hair however stilled stayed wet as she playfully tossed it around. With most of the others still finishing off there impromptu volleyball game she went over to talk to the late arrival to the beach.

 

"Hi there, Mali wasn't it? I'm think we've been introduced but I've not had a chance to chat with you, the names Daphne I've not long moved into the place myself."

[Thunder King]

Mali smiled, recognizing Daphne immediately. "I remember, yeah. We didn't get to talk much, no. You can run in the same circles as someone, but never actually interact with them." She looked around the beach. "Surfing, volleyball, eating. This is a beach party the way they need to be done." She looked all around.

 

"I'm seriously considering moving in. Advanced training facilities, lots of good company. Sounds like a good arrangement to me." She fetched a bottle of water from the little bag she brought. "Plus, I mean, it's a castle, right? Who wouldn't want to lie in a castle?"

[Tiffany Korta]

When Mali mention about moving in her face lit up and she sounded excited

 

“I know it’s amazing isn't it! I wanted to stay in one of the towers,you know like...” her hair went golden blond and grew down to the ground “...but unfortunately I was told I couldn’t.” she didn’t sound overly bothered by the whole thing

 

when she talked again.

 

“Oh you really should! Everyone’s who lives there is really amazing, even Tarva’s who’s a little strange.” of the two aliens, a ghost and a Deep One it was telling that Daphne picked out Tarva as the odd one out.

 

“But you should come stay the night and see if you like it, it could be like a sleepover!” Daphne was almost vibrating with excitement at the very idea.

[Fox]

"It is a good idea," Indira nodded, making her way over with a metal cupcake held in one hand - which, in the interests of not burning herself, she'd replaced with a silver three-clawed number that turned nearly black at the tips, as if fire-hardened. "You would not have to commit to anything, and we would very much like to see you there."

 

"Of course, if you did commit to something," she noted, cheerfully biting into her snack - which exposed a distinctly alien mouth and made a soft, inhuman grinding noise. She no longer bothered moving her mouth to speak, granting her the oddly humming tone normally reserved for her less human body. "If you did commit, there is plenty of room. We would be truly happy to have you around, and I do miss sparring."