Re: Echo of Nothingness (EON III) Continuation

Sat Sep 29, 2018 9:10 pm

Looking dejected as the group didn't seem to recognize him, Chusin realized something: he didn't recognize them either. Who were they again? One of the boys was pointing at him, so he'd gotten their attention at least. Not sure what to say, he just opened up in a grin, which in his state looked more like his face peeling back across his chin. As he began to turn away, he noticed something happening off to the side. A woman was being assaulted.

Sliding across the sand, he stumbled up to a few feet away from the battle. "Wush going on h-" He was silenced as a pile of sand, sent out from their battle, fell over him, covering him from his kneecaps all the way to his neck. Coughing up a little of the substance, he shook his head. As he looked on, the fight seemed to be more playful than it had seemed from a distance. Everything was fine, at least he hoped. Trying to act like he wasn't there, he chuckled as some kid was sent flying off to the house nearby. Looking around, he decided to introduce himself. "I am the sand guardian, gu-" a clump of mud fell over his head, completely covering it.

Kicking his feet a little, he slowly began to panic lightly. Feeling a layer of mud cover everything, not sure where it was coming from, as nobody used mud as their power, he stopped kicking and gave in to the inevitable. This was his end, caught in some freak accident on a beach. Never making a living for himself, no relationships longer than a week, not even being hired full time at any establishment... What a life he had lived. 'Wait a second...'

Welling up energy in his hand, Chusin released a blast of his lightning, meaning to disperse the debris. Instead, a few red sparks pitifully shot out, flying to zap whoever stood near. Charging again, he plopped the mud and sand off of himself, sparking red all up and down his arms. Standing up and shaking his head, he spread sand and muck everywhere, before opening his eyes and looking around. "Uh, hi." he spoke out to Natsumi, not sure what to do now. At first he assumed this girl was in distress, now it looked like the boy with her had been hit by a truck, as least his expression gave that off as he jogged off.

Sun Sep 30, 2018 12:39 am

Watching critically as Rohan glanced between her and Cassidy, her irritation slowly began to escalate. How could he not see what he was doing? She’d been trying with him long enough to know he was rather conscious of women, and the way they thought. While he wasn’t spot on one hundred percent of the time, being raised with three sisters had clearly taught him some things. He should’ve been able to piece together something this basic, leaving her slightly jagged. Was he just acting clueless, or was he genuinely confused? The worst part about the situation was that she couldn’t tell. His expressions were too hard to read into outside of arrogance, and an evident ego. Take those feelings out of the equation and suddenly it was as if you were meeting an entirely different person.
This was honestly the only reason they’d started talking to begin with, though it obviously had some minor drawbacks.
She huffed softly as he carried on like nothing had happened, exclaiming he wanted to do it for her. However if that were really the case why was his first instinct to turn to Cassidy? Sounded like he was a lot more interested in that. “I’m sure you do.” She remarked flatly, while beginning to push herself up. Completely unable to stop her eyes from rolling as he continued on. “Are you sure about that? It seems you’ve taken it upon yourself to help Cassidy, which would make you busy.”
Eying the albino girl as she swiftly sputtered out an excuse before scampering away, Lissandra finally released a soft sigh. Even though she and Rohan technically weren’t together, she really didn’t want to deal with any form of drama in that category. They were on vacation, the last thing they needed was pressure to finalize their thoughts on dating. Both of them were in rather unique situations... Anymore complications and she might’ve behaved rather rashly. As level headed as she was, any romantics automatically put her on edge. So adding to that stress was basically a death wish.
Though with that possibility now terminated, she felt more inclined to hear Rohan out.
“Don’t openly talk down in regards to my brother.” She whispered in a warning tone, before stiffening as his hands began to run along her back. Slipped, huh? What a lame excuse. “Kind of like your thought process.” With that she took in a deep breath, before hesitantly letting it go. He hadn’t meant anything. She needed to give him the benefit of the doubt. Plus Rohan had offered to teach her to drive. Which meant they have a little more time to themselves later on. Then she wouldn’t have to worry about Cassidy.
Reluctantly laying back down, Liss closed her eyes and attempted to enjoy the moment a bit more. “You’re not completely bad at this.” She whispered after a few moments, before cracking one eye to gaze up at her cousin. It seemed he was done playing with Umi. To let you the truth she’d completely zoned them out, so she wasn’t sure how the match had ended. “Yeah, I’m thinking boys against girls... Right after we finish with the suntan lotion. Speaking of, did you need some? Zach’s tan enough naturally that I’m not worried there, but you have a much fairer complexion. Must burn pretty easy, huh?”

Sun Sep 30, 2018 6:46 pm

DannyGirl~ wrote:The last year had been one of the best in Danyell’s life. Kios’ suggestion to travel had ended up being such a blessing, and their relationship was truly thriving thanks to it. The world was so much more beautiful than she remembered from her previous travels. Though it probably helped to be in the company of the one she loved most. It had truly shown her how much he understood around the world. From cultural understanding to the functions of basically any mechanism, there was no denying how ingenious her husband was. Truthfully though it was the excitement and passion in their travels around the globe that really impressed her. There was no doubt that spending that time with anyone else wouldn’t have measured up.
Iskios was in his own league in her heart.
On the other hand, when they were at home it was full of more life than ever. She’d never expected to be so busy with kids this late in life, but secretly she loved it. Teenagers were so full of energy, yet mature enough to sit down and have a real conversation with you. It was the perfect blend of childhood and adulthood. Leios and Lissandra seemed to have grow closer since the warlord fiasco, which meant the world to her. It was as if they’d never grown apart to begin with. Of course they had a lot of new faces around the house to spend time with now too, which she thought might’ve helped a bit.
August had asked to move in with them shortly after she’d come home from the hospital a year ago. However after living with them for a number of months, he’d taken off without a word. Honestly she still didn’t know what had happened. At first everything seemed great, and he seemed fine sharing a room like Leios. The two seemed to get along... Decently enough? Well enough at least for him to ask to be officially adopted by their family.
That was when he suddenly disappeared, before she and Kios had even had a chance to discuss it.
She hadn’t heard from him since.
Perhaps even more troubling to her was Zach’s apparent depression since the news of his mother. Unfortunately she hadn’t had much luck pulling him out of it, and she didn’t find it fair of her to press too hard. It was his mother after all... No one feel her loss worse than her children. The other of which actually seemed significantly better than when he’d first arrived. Though the two still had a lot to settle, Solomon was clearly ecstatic to see his little brother again. The two shared the only guest room in the house, located downstairs where she and Kios could check in on them. For both moral support, and to ensure Solomon’s condition was indeed stable.
At first it had been uncomfortable for her to spend too much time around her troubled nephew... Though she liked to believe that they’d overcome the accident. Now she cherished him as a nephew in the same manner as Zach.
She still found Zofia’s request to be overwhelming, but she truly loved both of the boys.
This was the least she could do for her sister in law.
Last of the new additions, but not least, was Yuu. Though never officially asking to stay with them, after the final battle with Eve he’d made himself right at home. Sleeping on the couch in the living room and joining them for family activities. He seemed to fit in fairly well, outside of his obvious distant for August and Solomon. Though she made him keep it in check.
Of course she’d also kept her promise in beginning to train him over the last year, which she enjoyed much more than she expected.
The boy had truly grown on her.
Almost as cherished to her that year, was the achievement of finally editing and rewriting her journal... Which meant she was ready to publish it. Though it wasn’t an original or creative story, the journal containing her thoughts and feelings when undergoing the two year war against Jove was a piece of history she was finally ready to share with the world. She doubted much success would come of something as plain as a journal, however she saw it as her duty to share it regardless. When one doesn’t learn from history, it’s bound to repeat itself.
Though the journal, admittedly, contained a great deal more of entrees regarding her feelings for Kios than she remembered... Almost all of which were taken out of her printed copy. While she’d allowed her husband to read the original copy, strangers had not business doing so.
All of the new development and accomplishments in her life constantly brought one question to mind.
What was next?
Her journal was finished.
Her children were grown, and no doubt leaving soon to start families of their own...
Same with the other teens currently staying with them.

It all left her feeling so empty.

She loved Kios with all her heart, but in truth she wasn’t ready to lose all her children just yet.

“Good morning Kios.” She finally whispered through a yawn, pretending to have just awoken as he finished getting ready for the day. There was so much on her mind that she just couldn’t bring herself to get out of bed before then. Forcing herself into a sitting position, Danyell drew in a deep breath. This was something she’d wanted to talk to Kios about for weeks... However the timing had never seemed right. The again would there ever be a right time? Their relationship was in a borderline perfect state... Perhaps it was her own tendency to overthink everything holding her back.
If that was the case, she’d rather just get it over with.
Hesitantly patting the bed beside her, the woman slowly ran her spare hand back through her hair. “Hey can we talk for a second? I know you want to see the kids off to the beach, but there’s a few things-“ Pausing a moment as she reassured herself, Danyell finally met his gaze. “I need to ask you.”
With that there was really no turning back, so she waited for him to sit down before swiftly beginning.
“I know we haven’t talked about this before, but... In training I’ve gotten to know Yuu so well. While he definitely has his quirks, and can be a handful, I kind of see some of myself in him. He’s such a good kid, truly... And it breaks my heart to see him the way he is. As well as he hides it, he’s in so much pain... All he wants is a family...”
“Iskios... I’ve decided I want to adopt him.”
“We can repurpose my writing space into a bedroom for him, so he doesn’t have to sleep on the couch! I can write at the kitchen table, it wouldn’t be a big deal. If you’re willing, I’d really really like to do this for him... We’re all he has left.”
That request was a big enough bomb to drop on him in and of itself, so she wondered if it was wise to even continue on... Though in the end she knew she’d always regret it if she didn’t. This was something she’d always considered, but in the past yet she’d come to truly desire it.
“That’s not all.” She whispered softly, her gaze temporarily flickering away from his as she gripping her knees tightly.
“Our kids are grown up now... Leios is 20 and Lissandra is already 18. They’re going to be leaving soon... Same goes for Yuu if we adopt him... And it’s... Its been really hard on me. Especially since Liss’ birthday.”
Though she tried her best to hold it back, she couldn’t help but tear up a little bit. “I’m just not ready to be an empty nester... I know it’s a big gap from our other kids, and that we aren’t as young as we used to be... But I’ve decided I’d really like a third kid... Though I want that decision to be up to you as well.”

Traveling with his beloved wife was the best idea Kios had come up with in a long time. It was stress-free and a truly rejuvenating experience. Back at home it was a bit more hectic. Kios didn't have a problem helping take care of so many teenagers but since he started going back to work after Danyell fully recovered she ended up doing a majority of the care-giving over the period of that year. Regardless the addition of August, Zach, Solomon, and Yuu meant their household of four had literally doubled, and the amount of interactions to be had correspondingly increased. Kios had even traveled to Nil a few times to check up on things with Zachariah I.

Kios was angry that he had failed to prevent his wife from getting injured, and was slightly ashamed that he had initially taken that anger out on his nephew who was under the influence of ungodly spirits and had just learned that his mother whom he hadn't seen in 10 years had been murdered only a week before. Zofia had asked Danyell, and by extension himself, to take care of her boys and Kios had gone and sent one of them into the hospital. Even in retaliation he should have been strong enough to simply restrain Solomon, but he let his emotions get the better of him in that singular moment. By the time Solomon had come back from the hospital, Kios had long since let go of any negative emotions towards the boy. In a way Solomon's story reminded him of his own so he was more inclined to set him down a healthier path. Teaching the boy about science and engineering was tough considering Solomon had not gotten any formal education in ten years but he was smart enough to at least pick up on a few things. Kios even gave form to an idea that had popped up in his mind recently to build a precise, long-range weapon for the boy. Thankfully Solomon seemed to really like it. Solomon's brother, Zach, was actually tougher to help out. He'd taken the hit of losing Zofia the hardest and it was difficult to console him, but Danyell and Kios didn't give up.

As a result of the incident with Danyell and Solomon being put into the hospital he let Danyell know that he would start training again. It would be to prevent a situation where she could be hurt ever again which meant not only protecting her, but himself, from the stronger threats of their world. He had to be able to face what he'd seen over 20 years ago or at least the ones that were relevant. Kios had never stopped researching his Shadow Matrix, but it was time to apply that knowledge.

August had asked to live with them, but Kios knew it wouldn't last long. The boy was unstable as a result of his upbringing by Jove and probably couldn't let himself stay 'vulnerable' for long. Kios wished he could help the boy more. Not long before August left, Kios had told the boy that he should ask him for help if he were ever faced with a problem that couldn't be properly answered. He had a feeling it wouldn't be long before that event occurred.

Liss getting along well with Leios was a welcome sight even if Leios was only around for a fraction of the past year. Both of his children had been changed by their journeys and fights against the Warlords, but Liss had changed the most out of the two. One of the more unexpected changes, though this one was more recent, was that she seemed to be getting along with Rohan who he knew she historically didn't get along with well. She would even go train with him every morning. Kios was quite pleased that his daughter was learning how to be nice to people. Leios hadn't changed very much, instead it was like something deep inside him was exposed and he'd only now become aware of it. He suspected that was why Leios decided to travel so much.

Yuu was quite a handful, what with his hyperactivity, his constant shouting, his sneaking out at night, the fact that he looked up to Kios and Danyell as his idols, and his un-forgiveness towards Solomon and August. But it was actually quite endearing, except for that last part. He was a good kid but also too focused on being a hero, so much so that sometimes his focus was on the wrong thing. At least Yuu had his heart in the right place, the rest could be worked on as he grew.

This was why Kios wasn't that surprised when he heard Danyell's first request. There had also been a few signs, such as the sweet look Danyell had whenever she talked to Yuu. As he sat on the bed beside her he simply laughed and patted her head, "That's a perfect idea! I like the kid too, I'd love to have him be a part of our family." He pondered it for a moment before continuing, "We should also help him pick out better swimsuits. I walked by his room today and saw him packing some sort of old timer's swimming tunic, and it was horrendous. I didn't have to heart to stop him but if I'm going to be his adoptive father then I'd be willing to give him crucial advice like that."

'Oh, there's something else too?' he thought when she continued onto a related subject. Half a minute later Kios' mouth was agape. Somehow Danyell had caught him off guard, he just couldn't think straight. "Uhh..." was all he managed to get out for some time, but suddenly a small flood of memories came to him. It was when they defeated Jove and he kissed Danyell and asked her to have children with him, then when Leios was born, then when Lissandra was born, and a whole host of memories of his children's childhoods and them growing up. A wonderful feeling came over him and he hugged Danyell tightly. It was something he wanted too. "Let's have another child Danyell."

Fri Oct 05, 2018 1:47 pm

“I was just trying to be nice” he said, while shaking his head and continued to rub the lotion on Liss’s back. She loved to talk smack to him, but he got used to it already. It was relaxing to hear do it actually, if she didn’t then there something going on. His movement became a little rougher “I’m not even trying to be good at it” Rohan replied back as he finally finished and sat next to her “i don’t burn easily so no i don’t need any. Thanks for the Ofer though” he stood up and gave her hand to help her up “yeah that’s a no for me. I don’t play volleyball, y’all have fun with that. I’ll be busy sunbathing... or maybe you want to learn how to drive, and i could give you a ride around the area.”

After getting dragged by the waves a few time Iggy finally came out the water and went over to Cassidy “the ocean is so nice... the waters are warm here unlike FDF. And did i hear something about volleyball? I’m a pro at volleyball!” He pointed at himself with his thumb then leaned over to Cassidy “what’s volleyball?”

Sat Oct 06, 2018 12:35 pm

Blushing slightly as Yuu called out to her, the young woman briefly waved in reply. It was one thing to jokingly make a show of her kraken, however it was another matter entirely to actually receive recognition for it. Even with her father’s help, she wouldn’t call herself confident when it came to her senshitsu. Tolerant was a closer way to describe it. While she would now use her senshitsu, that didn’t change all the years it had brought her hardship. So she used it cautiously, around those she trusted.
Though someone always managed to slip in through the cracks when she opened up. Blinking in surprise as she found herself face to face with a totally stranger, Umi’s face immediately soured as she smelt the alcohol from his breath. Those were the hardest boys to deal with. The drunk hardly ever listened to reason, or could even so much as hold themselves together... Then again he didn’t give off a flirtatious vibe. Maybe he was lost? Or thought she was someone else?
Choking as Solomon made one last retort before sprinting away, her complexion flushed in an instant. “W-Wait, w-we aren’t-!” She tried desperately to interject, but it was too late. It always went this way. No one believed that she could ever be friends with someone, even now that she’d dropped her excessive dating habits. She never even had a chance to collect her own thoughts on someone, others always forced the word into her mouth. Then again, she should be used to that by now.
Turning as the stranger said hello, her expression fell for just an instant before she managed to force a smile. “H-Hello... Did you need something?” Natsumi tried her best to remain sociable, though it was difficult. On top of the stress she already felt, she now had to cope with the anxiety of talking to an intoxicated boy around her age. Then a single ray of hope beamed, as the group mentioned volleyball. “Oh, I have the ball!” She called out a little too loudly, frantically ripping the ball from her bag just before accidentally releasing it. Sending it spiraling towards a young woman nearby, before promptly smacking her in the head. That pretty much summed up how her year was going.
“Oh my goodness! I am so, so sorry!” Racing over to the teen in a panic, the redhead swiftly scanned her over for injuries. “Are you hurt? I’m a healer I can help!” She rambled on before spotting several papers now sprawled across the sand. “Oh, I’ve got them don’t worry!” As she began to carefully collect each of the letters, she spotted a single familiar name. ‘Cherokee.’ Pausing as she grabbed the last paper, Umi then briefly scanned the pages over. Now noticing the plethora of ‘Loves’ scattered across the notes, her eyes widened upon finally noticing a Kama.
“...Where did you find these?” She whispered softly as gaze flickered back to the girl’s. A slight trace of concern lacing her curiosity. Who was this girl?
***

Taking his hand as he offered it to her, Lissandra slowly nodded. If he didn’t want it then she wasn’t going to force him. He never wore sunscreen in training, and he was always fine, so she was used to it. Her mood damped for a moment as Rohan suddenly decided to pass on volleyball, but she let it go. Occasionally Rohan’s behavior seemed strained, but it wasn’t as if she didn’t know why. “Sure, driving sounds great. Let me play a round first though, you can get some sun.” With that she jogged over to the volleyball net. “Hurry it up butterfingers! You’re on my time!” She called out before chuckling as Iggy piped in. “Then you can be on my team as well, better not let me down shorty.”

Sat Oct 06, 2018 1:30 pm

DannyGirl~ wrote:Blushing slightly as Yuu called out to her, the young woman briefly waved in reply. It was one thing to jokingly make a show of her kraken, however it was another matter entirely to actually receive recognition for it. Even with her father’s help, she wouldn’t call herself confident when it came to her senshitsu. Tolerant was a closer way to describe it. While she would now use her senshitsu, that didn’t change all the years it had brought her hardship. So she used it cautiously, around those she trusted.
Though someone always managed to slip in through the cracks when she opened up. Blinking in surprise as she found herself face to face with a totally stranger, Umi’s face immediately soured as she smelt the alcohol from his breath. Those were the hardest boys to deal with. The drunk hardly ever listened to reason, or could even so much as hold themselves together... Then again he didn’t give off a flirtatious vibe. Maybe he was lost? Or thought she was someone else?
Choking as Solomon made one last retort before sprinting away, her complexion flushed in an instant. “W-Wait, w-we aren’t-!” She tried desperately to interject, but it was too late. It always went this way. No one believed that she could ever be friends with someone, even now that she’d dropped her excessive dating habits. She never even had a chance to collect her own thoughts on someone, others always forced the word into her mouth. Then again, she should be used to that by now.
Turning as the stranger said hello, her expression fell for just an instant before she managed to force a smile. “H-Hello... Did you need something?” Natsumi tried her best to remain sociable, though it was difficult. On top of the stress she already felt, she now had to cope with the anxiety of talking to an intoxicated boy around her age. Then a single ray of hope beamed, as the group mentioned volleyball. “Oh, I have the ball!” She called out a little too loudly, frantically ripping the ball from her bag just before accidentally releasing it. Sending it spiraling towards a young woman nearby, before promptly smacking her in the head. That pretty much summed up how her year was going.
“Oh my goodness! I am so, so sorry!” Racing over to the teen in a panic, the redhead swiftly scanned her over for injuries. “Are you hurt? I’m a healer I can help!” She rambled on before spotting several papers now sprawled across the sand. “Oh, I’ve got them don’t worry!” As she began to carefully collect each of the letters, she spotted a single familiar name. ‘Cherokee.’ Pausing as she grabbed the last paper, Umi then briefly scanned the pages over. Now noticing the plethora of ‘Loves’ scattered across the notes, her eyes widened upon finally noticing a Kama.
“...Where did you find these?” She whispered softly as gaze flickered back to the girl’s. A slight trace of concern lacing her curiosity. Who was this girl?
***

Taking his hand as he offered it to her, Lissandra slowly nodded. If he didn’t want it then she wasn’t going to force him. He never wore sunscreen in training, and he was always fine, so she was used to it. Her mood damped for a moment as Rohan suddenly decided to pass on volleyball, but she let it go. Occasionally Rohan’s behavior seemed strained, but it wasn’t as if she didn’t know why. “Sure, driving sounds great. Let me play a round first though, you can get some sun.” With that she jogged over to the volleyball net. “Hurry it up butterfingers! You’re on my time!” She called out before chuckling as Iggy piped in. “Then you can be on my team as well, better not let me down shorty.”

—
Prequel
—
As the days slowly faded with time, Mina found herself at a loss in multiple different ways. It was hard to describe how she felt, as a whole—and ironically the closer she traveled towards her destination, the more she had started to feel a combination of feelings.

It wasn’t particularly bad, certainly not stellar either, but she found herself craving some sort of stability and some sort of structure—at the very least, a clear train of thought.
Some nights a heavy peacefulness embodied her whenever she would gaze at the stars, and other nights she would be consumed with gentle guilt.

These complexities were her only true burden when it came down to what mattered the most, and in turn, urged her to feel obligated (for her own sanity) to employ positive outlooks on her situation.

If anything, she was trying her best to assemble sanity through positivity; and through it, she bit by bit realized how beautiful it could be to see how much bigger the world really was.
The world outside of her windowsill was more than glittering snow, and vast amounts of groomed land.
She couldn’t possibly complain, because there were some moments where she had to pinch herself in order to realize that it wasn’t a dream and that she was everything she had ever wanted.

—
Enter Beach
—

For the millionth time, Mina glanced at the address attached to her letter as if it would change each time she’d see it.
She was getting extremely close to Kagutsuchi, and if it wasn’t for the countless modes of transportation and the unbearable weather, it wouldn’t have felt real.

She was itching in her own skin, disgusted by the absurdly humid, warm weather. She’d already stripped off layers and still felt uncomfortable. It also didn’t help that the remains of her water were already gone, so defeatedly, Mina kept paddling forward—until finally, she had made it to Kagutsuchi.

...

The closer she got towards the beach, the harder Mina’s heart thumped in her chest.
She became so focused on finding the letter, that she forgot about how uncomfortable she felt in her own skin.

On that particular day, the beach was pretty peaceful.
Truthfully, she expected it to be either completely deserted or full of people, so she was pleasantly surprised to see its occupancy.

But still, it was very unpleasant standing under the obliterating heat.
Prior to this Mina never had stepped foot onto a beach; the only experience she’d ever had was through the worrisome amount of romance novels she had read.
Honestly, they made the beach seem much more breathtaking than it actually was, but to say the least, she was at awe at its beauty.

It was just so fascinating how the water would crash into the shore, leaving a bubbly white lining at the very edge.
It even had her thinking of Cherry.

Would she have thought the same thing after her escape?

Mina glanced back to her letter she didn’t realize she was now clutching onto, and re-read the specific line she was reminded of.

“
I so desperately crave the sandy shores where I met my love. The memory of sand between my toes comforts me throughout the dull hours spent here, though my feet have long forgotten—

BAM

All of a sudden her head jerked backward and a very abrupt surge of pain snapped through her head, causing her clutched letters to flutter onto the sandy floor.

Within seconds, a girl quickly scrambled towards her frantically apologizing, until Mina finally realized she’d been smacked upside with a volleyball.

Everything was happening so quickly she felt like a deer in the headlights—she went from admiring the beach to being frantically apologized to and finally being confronted by the letters.
Mina's eyes widened in confusion once she was able to process everything, and instead of reassuring the girl her head was alright, her focus adverted towards the girl—who was now reading them.

Perhaps her first instinct should have been to snatch them back, but as Mina watched the scene in front of her unfold in a matter of seconds, she realized this girl knew something at the very least.

Could it be?

“You know Cherry?!”

Sat Oct 06, 2018 1:41 pm

When the morning rolled around, Juniper was already up and about, bouncing around her bedroom, grabbing various things. Needles, thread, tape, sketching paper, pencils, scissors, and fabric where all neatly stashed away in a brown bad on her bed. It was the only neat and organized thing in the room. Another, significantly less organized bag laid next to it. Instead of tailoring equipment, this bag was instead stuffed with various beach equipment. Lotion, a visor, an extra bathing suit, a rope hammock, and a ball. Her desk had dozens of notes and sketches strewn across it, and the floor was blanketed with various pieces of clothing and cut fabric. Organized was a word that was not used to describe Juniper. She finished packing her back and threw it over her shoulder. She pushed her bedroom door open and made her way to the stairs. She jumped on the railing and slid down it, jumping off and cleanly landing on her feet at the last moment.

"June! How many times to I have to tell you not to do that!" Her mom shouted at her almost as soon as her feet touched the ground.

"Sorry Ma, I forget sometimes." She nervously rubbed the back of her neck while smiling at her mother. "Is breakfast ready? I'm starved!" She darted towards the kitchen where she could smell the food her mother had made. "I decided I'm gonna go to the beach today. I finished my project last night, so Im gonna reward myself with some relaxation!" She cheered as she sat her bag on the floor and sat down at the table.

"Is your room clean? You gotta start keeping it clean!" Alia scolded her daughter as she followed her into the kitchen.

"Uh..Yes. Its clean" she replied simply, scarfing down her meal. She stood up and threw her bag over her shoulder once more "I gotta go! I gotta stop by my workshop too! Love you, mom." She hugged her mother tightly before bolting out the front door

~A short while later~

Juniper let out a relaxed sigh as she laid back in her hammock. She had finished up her work and decided to head to the beach as a reward. She had also invited s friend to play volleyball, but they haven't shown up yet, and Juniper assumed she wasn't going to either. She had tied the hammock around two trees that were close to each other.

She laid there undisturbed and motionless until the chattering of a nearby group caught her attention. Usually, shed have simply ignored it all together, but once of the voices seemed oddly familiar. It wasn't until she lifted her head and opened her eyes that she was able to put a name to it.

Without a word, Juniper shot to her feet and pulled the ball from her bag, planting it on the ground in front of her. She stepped back a few feet and sprinted forward, kicking the ball as hard as she could. The ball launched forward, flying foward quickly before hitting Rohan deadcenter in the face, followed by June's shoe that came off when she kicked the ball.

"Rohan! Catch" She snickered, knowing it had obviously been too late to catch the ball.

Sun Oct 07, 2018 4:00 pm

Rohan looked over to the rest, seeing them enjoy the beach put a smile on his face. He only considered a few from the group his friends, but at the same time he was enjoying the company of everyone. Even leios’ presence was a good thing “you can play of the rounds you want” he cupped Liss’ chin and shot her a quick wink “I’ll be patiently waiting. You better not lose” he let go of her chin and turned to look at Umi now. His sister seemed to be talking to some stranger, she looked harmless so he didn’t worry about it. If anything Natsumi was a bigger danger “i guess i can relax and enjo-“ a ball had just hit him right in the bed cutting him off. He caught the ball with one hand as it fell down then quickly turned to culprit. Some girl who knew his name... after taking a better look at her face she kinda looked familiar “who?” He said tossing the ball back at her and rubbed his nose.

Sun Oct 07, 2018 8:07 pm

[Yuu]
"Boys Vs. Girls?" Yuu contemplated the idea before a large grin tugged at his lips as he slammed his fist together, "The iconic battle of the ages!!!" He quickly pointed at Liss with a challenging smirk as he let out a boisterous chuckle "Just you watch, I Don't plan on losing to you Liss! THE TITLE OF BEACH VOLLEYBALL CHAMPION BELONGS TO THE BOYS!"

[Cassidy]
Watching the others get heated up for the apparent game, Cassidy smiled as she sat underneath her parasol. She looked up to see Iggy, dripping with sea water approach her, "I've not been to the Reach...though Lnna would often tell me about it. Mostly about how us lowlanders over exaggerated how cold it was" she laughed nervously, seriously questioning how much she could take the Ice user for actual comparison. "I'll have to stay out of the heat, so I'm not gonna join" Cassidy called out as she pulled out a sketchbook and pencil. Glancing up once again at Iggy, she blanked at his blatant lie, "Iggy, claiming to be good at sports you don't know how to play never ends well..." she noted with a sigh. "It's, uh, a sport where you hit a ball?" She slapped herself mentally at the worse possible explanation she could have given.

[Yuu]
"Alright...time to get a team started" Yuu began, "Rohan! Don't be a stick in the mud!" Yuu called out, pausing as he watched him get nailed in tbe face with a ball. 'Well there goes that option' Yuu thought, turning to look at Solomon. Giving the other young man a hard stare down, before letting out an annoyed grunt and looking away.

Turning he spotted Umi as she ran to get the volleyball. "Oh! Umi, you plan on playing as well-" he watched as she successfully managed to throw the ball into some random girls face. Gawking at the apparent connection between Umi being able to head shot people, and Rohan's inability to not get hit in the head. "Dang, Umi. You got a really good arm!" Jogging over next to Natsumi, he also checked over the girl "Are you alright?" The blond gingerly approach her, checking over the girls face, aside from the red mark from the impact her head seemed fine. Glancing between the two girls, Yuu took a look at the letters as well, raising an eyebrow at her "I would hope, she knew Mrs. Cherry," he pointed at Umi with his thumb "This is Natsumi Yosenju, her daughter..." Quickly catching wind of Liss forming her team, Yuu gritted his teeth before giving a small wave to the two "She's not winning on my watch! Glad you don't have a concussion miss! Come down when you're ready Umi!" He noted before nudging Umi, "We could use that sick throwing arm by yhe way!!!" He then ran off hoping to get more teammates.

Sun Oct 07, 2018 8:36 pm

Not fully sure what to do in such a situation, Chusin teetered side to side a little, thinking of any proper greeting for a stranger on the beach. Raising his hand, he patted her on the shoulder and said "It's me, uh, me!" Shaking his head as he ran off, he corrected himself "I meant hi! Well, bye!" So much for that meeting. He didn't mean to scare her away... Though, he noticed the cause for her retreat, thankfully not him, was actually a girl splattered across the sand, seemingly by his former companions throw. She seemed to be quite violent, having already laid out two people in such a short span of time...

Meandering in a random direction, he came to stand knee deep in the water for a minute, trying to find something to do. After wiping off the last of the sand and mud using the water, he heard someone mention a game: Volleyball. He happened to be great at volleyball, in part due to being a food above most competition, but he enjoyed it a lot. Scooting in the direction of the group and their ball, he heard a young man proclaiming his title of Champion. "I obheft!" He proclaimed, pointing at Yuu and stammering out some incomprehensible syllables. "I da tallyball jampion, jush you watch!" He assumed a eady position, arms perfectly set for a bump, knees squared at shoulder width, aiming in the opposite direction of the group.

Tue Oct 09, 2018 7:45 pm

As she turned to leave, Lissandra found herself caught by the chin. Momentarily stunned by the gesture, the young woman quietly cleared her throat as he winked. A soft blush faintly painting over her tanned complexion. In training the moment would’ve been one thing, but in front of so many people she found herself rather flustered. Especially with Leios there. It reminded her that their time in their current relationship was shortly coming to a close. They needed to come to a decision... Before other’s became too keenly aware of all that was happening between them. Or even worse, before the situation became too complex for her to sort through.
Taking in a deep breath as he released her, she told a few seconds to recoup her thoughts. Embarrassment wasn’t something she often felt. It wasn’t exactly pleasant, but not horrid either. Just different. Though, aside from that feeling, she had to admit the attempt was rather comforting. It made her feel as if their connection was more than what she feared it was. Not that she had any right to talk on that subject.
Rohan had definitely changed a lot over that year, and seemed to just a bit more every day. He really was growing into a fine young man, perhaps even someone she’d date permanently. Something that deep down still felt wrong to so much as think.
Finally shaking her head, Liss smiled ever so slightly. “Losing? I can’t say I’m familiar with the term.” She teased back in a whisper, before playfully punching his shoulder. Then shooting him a wink of her own, the young woman shot back one last comment before jogging over to the rest of the group. “Try not to stare too much.”
***

Lissandra ditched the boys vs girls idea as soon as Rohan bailed, though in the end it backfired. Her eagerness to snag Iggy after his bold proclamation cost her Umi, who was actually rather athletic. Well, only because she didn’t have it in her to steal her from Yuu. That boy could hold his own in long arguments. Unfortunately his energy seemed to be the opposite of infectious. Rather it was surprisingly draining. Probably because he was still quite childlike, and she couldn’t bring herself to keep up a disagreement once she saw that mental image. “Fine, Leios you’re on my team then! Zach are you playing?” Turning as the boy talking to Natsumi only moments early suddenly ran over, Liss’ expression hardened as she realized he was drunk. So much so she couldn’t understand what he was saying. “Umi who’s this guy? Was he harassing you?” She demanded openly, her yell aimed to the other girl though her gaze never left the boy.
***

Jolting in place slightly as the girl lit up in excitement, Natsumi slowly took a step back. On the rare occasions strangers approached her with questions of her parents they always seemed to be one of three things. Reporters, those of malicious intent like the warlords, or die hard fans. All terrifying in there own rights, and equally hard to shake.
Based off appearance alone, this girl seemed to be in the last category. Alright, not a problem. She’d prepared for these situations! The girl clearly didn’t recognize her. She probably had no idea that she was Cherry’s daughter. Meaning that she could make up some excuse, and slowly retreat...
“Oh, Yuu!” Forcing a laugh as he commented on her throwing arm, Umi desperately attempted to continue her show retreat. “That was just a stroke of bad luck, I’m nothing special! Don’t worry she seems fine-“ Wincing as he addressed the topic she’d been avoiding, the redhead froze in place as the blonde then ran back up to the net. Thanks Yuu. Just what she needed to top of the day. “Whattttt, me? Child of one of the heroes? That’s hilarious!” At that point she was forcing herself to such a degree that it almost physically hurt. “Sorry about that, my friend is a little... Drunk.” She finally decided, right on cue. Turning around at Lissandra shout, Natsumi wondered how she always found herself in so many awkward situations at once. “Much like that stranger over there.” She chuckled apologetically to the strange girl, before raising her voice to reply. “Ah, I don’t think so? He grabbed my shoulder, but it didn’t seem like he had ill intentions... He just kept saying ‘it’s me’? I’m not sure how he knows me!”
***

“Hmm...” Scanning the boy over as Natsumi explained, Lissandra found herself puzzled. He actually looked kind of familiar... But she wasn’t sure where she’d seen him previously. Perhaps he’d gone on a date with Umi? It wouldn’t be the first time she’d forgotten someone she dated. In fact it seemed more rare for her to remember one. “What’s your name?”

Wed Oct 10, 2018 11:30 am

DannyGirl~ wrote:As she turned to leave, Lissandra found herself caught by the chin. Momentarily stunned by the gesture, the young woman quietly cleared her throat as he winked. A soft blush faintly painting over her tanned complexion. In training the moment would’ve been one thing, but in front of so many people she found herself rather flustered. Especially with Leios there. It reminded her that their time in their current relationship was shortly coming to a close. They needed to come to a decision... Before other’s became too keenly aware of all that was happening between them. Or even worse, before the situation became too complex for her to sort through.
Taking in a deep breath as he released her, she told a few seconds to recoup her thoughts. Embarrassment wasn’t something she often felt. It wasn’t exactly pleasant, but not horrid either. Just different. Though, aside from that feeling, she had to admit the attempt was rather comforting. It made her feel as if their connection was more than what she feared it was. Not that she had any right to talk on that subject.
Rohan had definitely changed a lot over that year, and seemed to just a bit more every day. He really was growing into a fine young man, perhaps even someone she’d date permanently. Something that deep down still felt wrong to so much as think.
Finally shaking her head, Liss smiled ever so slightly. “Losing? I can’t say I’m familiar with the term.” She teased back in a whisper, before playfully punching his shoulder. Then shooting him a wink of her own, the young woman shot back one last comment before jogging over to the rest of the group. “Try not to stare too much.”
***

Lissandra ditched the boys vs girls idea as soon as Rohan bailed, though in the end it backfired. Her eagerness to snag Iggy after his bold proclamation cost her Umi, who was actually rather athletic. Well, only because she didn’t have it in her to steal her from Yuu. That boy could hold his own in long arguments. Unfortunately his energy seemed to be the opposite of infectious. Rather it was surprisingly draining. Probably because he was still quite childlike, and she couldn’t bring herself to keep up a disagreement once she saw that mental image. “Fine, Leios you’re on my team then! Zach are you playing?” Turning as the boy talking to Natsumi only moments early suddenly ran over, Liss’ expression hardened as she realized he was drunk. So much so she couldn’t understand what he was saying. “Umi who’s this guy? Was he harassing you?” She demanded openly, her yell aimed to the other girl though her gaze never left the boy.
***

Jolting in place slightly as the girl lit up in excitement, Natsumi slowly took a step back. On the rare occasions strangers approached her with questions of her parents they always seemed to be one of three things. Reporters, those of malicious intent like the warlords, or die hard fans. All terrifying in there own rights, and equally hard to shake.
Based off appearance alone, this girl seemed to be in the last category. Alright, not a problem. She’d prepared for these situations! The girl clearly didn’t recognize her. She probably had no idea that she was Cherry’s daughter. Meaning that she could make up some excuse, and slowly retreat...
“Oh, Yuu!” Forcing a laugh as he commented on her throwing arm, Umi desperately attempted to continue her show retreat. “That was just a stroke of bad luck, I’m nothing special! Don’t worry she seems fine-“ Wincing as he addressed the topic she’d been avoiding, the redhead froze in place as the blonde then ran back up to the net. Thanks Yuu. Just what she needed to top of the day. “Whattttt, me? Child of one of the heroes? That’s hilarious!” At that point she was forcing herself to such a degree that it almost physically hurt. “Sorry about that, my friend is a little... Drunk.” She finally decided, right on cue. Turning around at Lissandra shout, Natsumi wondered how she always found herself in so many awkward situations at once. “Much like that stranger over there.” She chuckled apologetically to the strange girl, before raising her voice to reply. “Ah, I don’t think so? He grabbed my shoulder, but it didn’t seem like he had ill intentions... He just kept saying ‘it’s me’? I’m not sure how he knows me!”
***

“Hmm...” Scanning the boy over as Natsumi explained, Lissandra found herself puzzled. He actually looked kind of familiar... But she wasn’t sure where she’d seen him previously. Perhaps he’d gone on a date with Umi? It wouldn’t be the first time she’d forgotten someone she dated. In fact it seemed more rare for her to remember one. “What’s your name?”

—
Scene
—
Taken aback, Mina stares back at the girl in front of her. Mina wasn’t dumb, so when the boy, who was a part of the group the girl came from, seemed to confirm her suspicions that she knew Cherry, it made a mixture of shocked and dejected feelings arise.
Especially since he even said she was supposedly related to her.

why was it such a secret? this was an important matter to Mina

Letting out a distraught breath, Mina watched her scene in front of her unfold as the girl began to awkwardly transition away—no way
, could this interaction be over.
Mina was way too close to her answer, and everything depended on this very moment.

“Wait, please give me a chance to explain myself!”
Mina clenched her left hand in sheer nervousness,

“now that I’m thinking about it it may seem odd that I am coming off forward, but if there is an off-chance you do know Cherokee... I just want you to know it means a lot to me. Not in a weird creepy way,

It's just, I found a lot of these letters back in my father’s estate, and they led me here, I’m looking for the last one on this beach—” Mina let out a sad sigh
“-I know I sound like a little girl chasing a stupid tale, to be fair I didn’t even think she was real, I just blindly came here to get away from it all.”

Mina furrowed her eyebrows trying to understand what emotion she was feeling.

Truthfully she kind of felt vulnerable in that moment, and it made her kind of disgusted.
Being vulnerable was something she hated,
not because of cliche reasons, she just hated feeling like she couldn’t carry the weight of her own issues enough to keep composure.

She looked up at the girl and took another step closer to make sure she wasn’t going to leave. And in an almost desperate voice,

“I hope you can understand, if you do know her it would help me out a lot.”

Wed Oct 10, 2018 3:17 pm

Earlier today:

The familiar hot breeze of Kagutsuchi coast blew a few strands of black hair out of Serenity’s eyes. Her pale skin burns slightly where its exposed from her conservative cloths. To no one's surprise, the nice furs of wolf hide made travel nearly impossible in this lower climate. Strangely enough, The warmth felt soothing almost to an embrace weighing her down. Or quite possibly, between the heat and growing payload of her backpack is starting to cause her mind to slip into a daze. By now, the high up sun beat down across the island nation providing everyone a truly lovely day.

Serenity little journey seem getting to its end after travelling half way across the word and back again without her little companions. Her mind still felt fuzzy remembering the night in terms of a maelstrom tossing the little party ship to and forth knocking her off. Yet her recovery lead her back to the long ship during the night. Despite this, she went on to collect another piece to a growing puzzle. Searching her kit, she retrieves a small leather journal cracking it open to flip through the pages.

“If I would admit to anything Jove’s little island does right is definitely the strange mixture of the different elemental users abilities affecting the growth of their economy. In a few decades the islands almost meeting many of the other nations GDP from before their little skirmishes with him in the modern era. Yet I won’t admit his influence caused this little boom. Naturally, unification of people from the separate nation is inevitable, but I doubt many of the differences that originally divided them will disappear within my lifetime. It going to be up to the next generation to change those kind of things.”

Snapping the book shut, she let out a sigh having reread the book half a dozen times now wondering where the next lead might end up. All she knew at this point is the next journal would be hide on the islands jungle. Saron seem to take some interest in old ruins once it became apparent Seiya is a dead end. At least she can check up on Danyell’s family. Her husband seem pretty well read from her knowledge. He might know where these ruins were located.

Current Time:

Serenity felt fatigue in her legs starting to build into cramps and sweat start to drench her furs. Hours seem to past walking from the nearby bay a couple miles to the west. Yet the house is indeed in sight giving her a second wind of sorts putting some more enthusiasm into her next step. By the time, she reaches the entrance to the manor itself her condition seem far more obvious. She smelled like dead seal remains left to rot in the snow. She needed to find somewhere to clean up instead of embarrassing herself.

Taking out a couple of bottles of water, she cracks the caps pulling the water out collecting it into a huge orb. Letting the orb fall down soaking her in a few seconds felt nice in this heat. Then she claps her hands causing the water to start draining off her person and into another orb above her head. Clapping them again, it splits off firing off to the surrounding lawn leaving her damp. With a sigh, she cups her hands blowing into them causing fire to burst forth into a ball. Shifting the heat, it pushes back on her acting similar to a blow dryer causing her hair to puff up.

Slipping her hand through her long hair, she tries to braid it back letting it fall back a bit more presentable. Despite her knowledge, her little stunt outfront is not quiet in the slightest. It almost can be compared to a little show. In hindsight, she probably should have checked in case someone would not take this the wrong way. The last time someone used their powers in front of the heroes homes it almost destroyed the building.

Mon Oct 15, 2018 11:10 pm

Juniper puffed out her cheeks as she pouted “Who?! Youve forgotten! How horrible!” She caught the ball and dropped it to her feet, placing her foot on top of it. “Its me! Juniper! You know, from school!” A smile returned to her face rather quickly “Oh well! Im sure youve just been too busy and forgot. But nope! No relaxing for you today! You gotta introduce me to your new friends!” She giggled. She lifted her other foot from the ground, attempting to balance on the ball. She almost immediately fell flat on her face, but quickly rose again. “Ouch….Oh! Who was that pretty girl? Surely you, Rohan, couldn't have scored something like that! Maybe someone hired her to pretend..” She joked, kicking her ball back to where she left her bag.

Sat Oct 20, 2018 1:37 pm

"Tell Kama he should visit soon!" Zachariah Fahlih the First called. From his perch upon the grand stone staircase in the foyer of the Fahlih home he looked down upon his nephew. Compared to the year previous he looked much healthier, the bags beneath his eyes had faded to almost nothing and his skin had returned to a healthy bronze. This rehabilitation had been thanks to Kama's family. Even now as the older man insisted his friend come for a visit his nephew knew there was an ulterior meaning. He was beginning to feel unwell again and would need Cherry's help.

Zach smiled up at him nonetheless. There were still alarming changed that indicated his uncles age, the presence of the Lady within him seemed to accelerate the process. His hair had become salt and pepper above his ears, the lines beneath his eyes were deeper and his frame seemed leaner. Zachariah the First was barely forty-two, yet he aged like a man a decade past that.

"Of course uncle." He responded, "Be safe while I am gone, I will be back to check on you soon." He promised and slipped through the heavy wooden front door.

Over the course of the last year Zach had spent his time split between Ryujin, taking care of his uncle and Kagatsuchi, tending to the new branch of his family. At first he had insisted Zachariah 1 move to Kagastuchi, but the older man was stubborn, insisting he couldnt leave his sisters and his country in turmoil. Zach hadn't complied easiy but when he did he was dead set on staying with his uncle until the Lady could be banished and those who held power in Ryujin stopped dropping like flies.

Then he heard about Solomon.

He'd thought it some kind of joke at first. An elaborate hoax that someone who knew too much about his life had artfully designed to cause his emotionally undoing. But no.

Solomon looked very different than he remembered. Perhaps time had distorted and idealized his vision of his older brother. Zach could only look at him awhile upon first seeing him. If he stripped away the white hair, Solomon looked much like how Zach remembered their father. He didn't know what to say, what to ask.

Should he talk about their mother?

Should he ask where he had been?

Should he ask if he knew the whereabouts of their father?

In the end he had awkwardly embraced him. Feeling lucky enough to have one piece of his immediate family back, despite the very strange circumstances he returned under.

Yet Zach found it hard to reattach to Solomon. He feared he would once again have his brother back, have the brotherly bond he'd craved since Solomon's initial disappearance. Until one day he would wake up, just as he had all those years ago and Solomon would be gone again.

Umi was another story, he wasn't afraid to get close to her. Maybe a little wary to ask her about advice related to sibling relationships but other than that he tried his best to be an open book to her. But she seemed... off. It was only word he could think of to describe her at this point. It was something he wanted to help her with if he could, but part of him was afraid to try.

Zach could help his uncle, he knew how, or atleast where to start. Natsumi was different. Her problems were rooted in a past he'd only seen glimmers of and would likely never fully understand. He doubted he could help at all.

He'd wanted to talk to Liss but in the end he could never bring himself to approach her about everything.

But he wasn't without a confidant. Whenever he was overcome with emotion he would settle in with his mothers old journal. Her scrawling handwriting and messy sketches brought him into a sense home time and time again.

So he spent his time split, Kagastuchi to Ryujin and just like now, Ryujin to Kagustuchi.

Pulling his cowl up over his unkempt hair he traversed deeper into the city. With his more frequent coming and going his cousin Zoran had showed him more hidden tunnels, threaded throughout Ryujin, however most where too small for a human to fit through. Zoran had told him these passages had been a favored tool of his mother.

Tragically he was far from his mothers skill level. He had tried over the year to master the technique of turning ones whole form to sand, but was ultimately unsuccessful as of yet.

Lucky for him there were plenty of passages that fit people his height.

-----------------------------------------------------

He landed in Kagustuchi some time later. His travel cowel over his head and clothing blatantly Nilisian, but no less comfortable in the summer Kagastuchi sun. He traveled down the familiar street he crossed many times on the way to his cousins home.

He fondly recalled when he had first traversed these streets alone, getting lost along the way. He smiled at the memory but the fondness turned bittersweet quickly. He had been so naive just over a year ago. The change was almost too much, his memory seemed to distort the happenings to feel as if they occured over many years. It all left a hallow ache in his chest.

He tried his best to ignore it as always and followed the familiar path, to the suburbs of his aunt and uncles home familiar and comforting but in a different sense than the narrow streets of Ryujin.

--------------------------------------------------------------

A few days later he found himself on a trip to the beach. Not really something he considered himself in the mood for. The guilt of his uncles condition and the constant unrest brewing around the first Zachariah caused this young Zach a great amount of stress.

Awkward and quiet he tagged behind his group, looking ready enough for the festivities, swim trunks and a light patterned shirt, unbuttoned. He left his feet bare, eager to feel the sand beneath his toes.
Quietly toting a bag of towels under his arm, he takes a seat on the beach. He felt the sun and sand, heard everyone but their voices seemed far off. He watched the ocean, not unlike the desert, with it's dangers and unpredictability, but far deeper and unfathomable than the sands ever could be.

He let all the hubbub happen around him and let him self get distracted by the waves.

Sat Oct 20, 2018 2:03 pm

Kamila's resting frown deepened. This hadn't been her ideal situation. True the last year had felt arduous. Assiting Takumi as he needed with the reconstruction of Fuji. But this wasn't truly her ideal relaxing vacation. She would rather be content systematically cycling through one task after another. Now here she stood, beach side, swimsuit donned and a large hat in place on her head.

Though she hadn't wanted a vacation but when Leios had invited them, Takumi had seemed in need of one.

'I could use a vacation, my boss is the worst.' Kamila had said. She smirked at the memory of his face. Maybe she should have amended the statement to let him know it was a joke.

He should know better by now.

Now she stood by his side in the summer Kagastuchi sun. Simple black one piece swim suit and a light black shawl over it, large sunglasses and an even larger sunhat. Everything about her said, 'I wont get in the water, even if my children are drowning.'

Lowering her glasses she observed the crowd on the beach. Eyes glancing at the unfamiliar faces until they fell on a dark hair youth. She squinted, tracing her eyes over his features to be certain.

"I believe we're in the right place." She shifted her hands to her hips, "I believe that's Leios up there." She pointed.

Sat Oct 20, 2018 3:31 pm

Great... this was supposed to be a peaceful weekend. Most of the teens haven’t seen each other in a very long time. There was a drunk guy probably hitting on natsumi, and now some other random girl seemed to be asking her some questions. Don’t forget this chick with the ball in front of him “juniper? From school?” He brought a finger to his chin trying to remember who she was. It took him a few second to finally remember “oh now i remember, nice to see that you’re doing fine.” She was exactly like when she was in high school. It was too early in the morning to deal with someone so hyperactive like here “hahaha funny, and don’t worry about her. Now if you excuse me i have to go deal with some stuff...” he pointed over to his sister and the new people. At first he wasn’t sure if he should even intervene because of things were with his sister, but at the same time he couldn’t let his sister with some strangers. Especially if one of them was drunk. Luckily Yuu seemed to separate him from umi now there was only the girl “what do we have here?” He stood next to umi and tried to catch a glance of the letters “are you lost?”

Sat Oct 20, 2018 10:48 pm

Thankfully, Kios responded without any hesitation to her first question. It gave her the courage to carry on.
A wide smile adorned her face as she processed his answer, before a soft chuckle escaped her. One problem down, one to go. “Father. You’ll be his father.” She corrected softly, a gentle smile still tugging the corners of her lips. Being an adopted child herself, she’d never cared for the term. A family was a family, regardless of blood.
His next comment caught her off guard, though it made her laugh. So he’d noticed too then. Slowly nodding once she’d collect herself, Danyell’s eyes shined brightly with amusement. “I happened to stumble upon that straightening his room up a bit, so I sent Liss with some swim trunks for him. I’m sure she’ll get him to change somehow.” She wasn’t sure if he could afford a nice pair of swimming trunks, or if he preferred the traditional look... Either way, Lissandra had her ways. Hopefully she’d be nice about it, though she was never quite sure how her daughter thought. She was such an odd combination of herself and Kios. Leios was the easier of the two for her to read.
She missed him dearly.
Then came her second and final request.
His initial responses as to be expected. After all, they’d never spoken about a third child before. Danyell had always been content with two. It wasn’t until very recently she’d yearned for more. A child to raise for just a few more years, before allowing herself to let go. Hopefully by then she’d have grandchildren to look after... Though the thought made her feel so old that she immediately shoved it aside.
Immediately after a soft gasp fell from her lips, just before her expression seemed to glow. Tears finally slid down her cheeks as her husband’s arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly. Part of her was overjoyed, the other part relieved. If he’d rejected the idea she’d have been devastated. However Iskios always seemed to know her limitations and sincere desires. He took good care of her. “I told everyone that I picked a good one, can’t image why they didn’t trust my judgment.” She teased quietly while wiping away her tears. “Maybe it’s your eyes...” Gazing up into his crimson orbs, the brunette chuckled. Slowly leaning up to gently kiss both his eyelids, she then gave him a lopsided grin. “Though I find them to be quite lovely. I’m glad the kids got them.” And she meant it. He often referred to his eyes as demonic when conversing with Solomon, but she’d never understood that.
It’s said that eyes are the window to the soul, and Kios eyes were filled with an undeniably sweet and gentle sparkle whenever she saw them. Eve and Saron has definitely been wrong about him. Sometimes he was even too harsh on himself. Danyell truly believed that he would remain this caring for the rest of his days, even if something did happen to her like before. It might take a while, but he’d circle back to the man she knew he was.
To the father their child would come to know.
“Alright, let’s have another baby.” She finally whispered in excitement while tightly hugging him back.

Sun Oct 21, 2018 5:12 am

Scanning the strange girl over for a few moments, Natsumi slowly released a defeated sigh. Her slow movements in retreat finally halting once more. Everything about this girl rang with sincerity, leaving her with no reason to flee. If she wasn’t a crazed fan, or a threat, than she could only be sincere in her request. Though there was only one way to truly find out. Gently taking the letters from the girl once more, the redhead began to scan them over as her brother suddenly jogged over. Not being on the best terms, she wasn’t sure what to say at first. So she kept it simple, thought not ungentle. “This girl says that mom wrote these letters.” She whispered timidly before falling silent as she read.
At a few moments her cheeks grew warm, and she cleared her throat. The stressed formality, and over demonstrated romantics made it clear. “Yeah, she definitely did.” She softly announced before passing the old scrolls to her brother. Out of all the kids Rohan has always been the closest with their mother. Even more so than Tsubaki. So she knew he’d want to have a look.
Then Liss called out to her from behind once more, immediately earning her attention. “Coming!” Swiftly leaning over and picking up the ball, the young woman paused for a moment. “...I don’t really understand the situation, but I can assure you that she’s real... She is my mother, and Yuu isn’t actually drunk. Or he’s regularly drunk, and I’ve never seen him sober. That’d actually explain a few things...” Trailing off for a brief moment, Natsumi quickly shook her head. Focus. Taking in a deep breath as she glanced back to the net, she nodded for the girl to follow her. “Come play a found with us. Then we can help you look for the other letter.” She offered gently before sprinting over to the net, and forcing a small smile. “Alright I’m ready!” Announcing as she came to a quick stop, the maiden’s gaze fell to Zach.
He’d spent the entire trip sitting silently away from the group. Not to mention his shirt was unbuttoned, and he didn’t look bothered in the slightest. He obviously still had a ways to go recovery wise. “Get Zach come join!” She invited warmly just before the drunk piped in.
“Ah... You’re facing the wrong way.” She informed him softly, before shaking her head. Now wasn’t the time for that. He was old enough to manage himself. “Let’s do this!” Serving the ball over the net effortlessly, Natsumi watched as the game began.

Sun Oct 21, 2018 2:40 pm

DannyGirl~ wrote:Scanning the strange girl over for a few moments, Natsumi slowly released a defeated sigh. Her slow movements in retreat finally halting once more. Everything about this girl rang with sincerity, leaving her with no reason to flee. If she wasn’t a crazed fan, or a threat, than she could only be sincere in her request. Though there was only one way to truly find out. Gently taking the letters from the girl once more, the redhead began to scan them over as her brother suddenly jogged over. Not being on the best terms, she wasn’t sure what to say at first. So she kept it simple, thought not ungentle. “This girl says that mom wrote these letters.” She whispered timidly before falling silent as she read.
At a few moments her cheeks grew warm, and she cleared her throat. The stressed formality, and over demonstrated romantics made it clear. “Yeah, she definitely did.” She softly announced before passing the old scrolls to her brother. Out of all the kids Rohan has always been the closest with their mother. Even more so than Tsubaki. So she knew he’d want to have a look.
Then Liss called out to her from behind once more, immediately earning her attention. “Coming!” Swiftly leaning over and picking up the ball, the young woman paused for a moment. “...I don’t really understand the situation, but I can assure you that she’s real... She is my mother, and Yuu isn’t actually drunk. Or he’s regularly drunk, and I’ve never seen him sober. That’d actually explain a few things...” Trailing off for a brief moment, Natsumi quickly shook her head. Focus. Taking in a deep breath as she glanced back to the net, she nodded for the girl to follow her. “Come play a found with us. Then we can help you look for the other letter.” She offered gently before sprinting over to the net, and forcing a small smile. “Alright I’m ready!” Announcing as she came to a quick stop, the maiden’s gaze fell to Zach.
He’d spent the entire trip sitting silently away from the group. Not to mention his shirt was unbuttoned, and he didn’t look bothered in the slightest. He obviously still had a ways to go recovery wise. “Get Zach come join!” She invited warmly just before the drunk piped in.
“Ah... You’re facing the wrong way.” She informed him softly, before shaking her head. Now wasn’t the time for that. He was old enough to manage himself. “Let’s do this!” Serving the ball over the net effortlessly, Natsumi watched as the game began.

-
Scene
-

A heavy breath of relief released pent-up anxiety as soon as the girl confirmed Mina’s suspicions.
Her eyes quickly adverted to the man who came forward suddenly, who was introduced as another child of Cherokee.
At that moment, Mina felt butterflies violently swarm within her stomach. The sheer joy was too much to contain, so much so, that it leaked unto her face—she was most definitely portraying herself as an open book.

Cherry was real!! This wasn’t so horrible of an idea after all!!

Mina gawked at the man, waiting for his reply when all of a sudden the girl adverted the topic towards a lighter issue. She assured the letters would be talked about after a game of Volleyball, and to Mina’s surprise, she was abruptly invited! Not because she looked like a loner or anything (hopefully), but mostly because she was caught off guard.

And also because, of course, she wasn’t exactly the most athletic. At home, the only active festivities she indulged in were tennis and snowball fights.
Perhaps Volleyball would be much like snowball fighting?

Mina nodded her head and followed the girl mindlessly, but before jumping right into the court full of strangers, she observed the motion of the game.

Ahh, it’s called Volleyball because of the constant flow on each side of the net!

She suddenly felt a rush of embarrassment stupidly standing on the side and attempted a formal smile, “Hello everyone, hopefully, you don’t mind me joining!”
With that, she quickly jumped in and tried her best—mostly by observing others motions and calls throughout the game. She even momentarily forgot how uncomfortable she was in the heat.

Sun Oct 21, 2018 4:34 pm

Zach flinches when he hears someone call his name, his conscious jerked suddenly back to reality. He turns his head to the side just in time to seen Natsumi turn away but beckon him to follow. He gazed a little longer to gather context. Volley ball? Not something he counted himself very good at but to ignore a direct invitation seemed rude. Especially from Umi. Perhaps this was a sign their relationship was headed to normalcy. But really what was normalcy to them, their friendship forged on some strange context. But maybe this was an attempt to form some normalcy. He approached the idea with more confidence.

Suddenly feeling very sheepish for isolating himself and angsting at the ocean for an indeterminable amount of time, Zach stood and joined them. He had yet to get a read on Rohan, that redheads opinion of him had fallen from his priorities. Alongside both of their consistent absences Zach barely saw him. His fear was replaced by an apathy, if not dislike for the redhead for Umi's sake.

"Sure Umi! Can't say I'm the best but-" He noticed the new face among them. More shame washed over him, he did not know this strangers name. Was she a friend Umi had made on one of his trips to Ryujin? He suddenly fumbled for words to introduce himself to Mina.

"Hello! Um, nice to meet you, I'm Zach-ariah!" The end of his name turned up in an awkward squeak. Why did he say his full name. He never introduces himself as that. What are you even talking about?? Fix it! "But! You can call me Zach if you'd like!" He amended quickly, extending an arm for a peculiarly formal handshake for such a casual environment.

Sun Oct 21, 2018 7:41 pm

Turning around as someone spoke to him, learning he had been facing the wrong way, Chusin tried to understand who he was talking to. Different girl, different feel. "I'm, I uh, Chusin Kusin mi'im. Ma'am. Me, yeah." He nodded in her direction, before turning back to the net. She didn't seem that angry at first, though her following questions to others conveyed that she might be their leader, or matriarch, or some word like that. He obviously made a good first impression, since he hadn't been sent flying like the other boy he spotted. These people seemed decent, hopefully they didn't mind him joining in the volleyball game. Watching as the ball was sent flying over the net, he went to bump it back, instead he mistimed, sending it toppling through the air towards one of the people in his side of the nets heads like a rocket.

Sun Oct 21, 2018 9:44 pm

[Yuu]
Yuu glanced back at Umi, a frustrated frown forming. '...She keeps doing that weird thing' he noted, seemingly no matter how he complimented her or tried to joke with her, Umi would consistently brush them off, normally by downplaying herself and trying to come off stupid. It honestly irked Yuu for some reason, the blond fire/ice user had met plenty of people with confidence issues in the past, but Umi was different from them. Umi's problem lied with the fact she didn't want to stand out, wether in a good or bad light. Yuu let out an annoyed huff, running his hand through his hair "I don't really get it, but something is bothering her. I dunno what to do though..." he muttered to no one but himself.

His train of thought on the matter was pulled when he heard some drunken slurring directed at him. He watched Chusin as he exclaimed his challenge, as messyly spoken as it was. "Eh!?" Yuu glared with a challenging smirk, "I'm not gonna let anyone stand in my way to the title of champion!" Yuu deciphered the drunken slurrings as flames ebbed off of Yuu in response. "Alright! Umi's joining in" Yuu cheered, before glancing over at the new girl "Oh, and a new friend as well!" He waved to Mina, excitedly thrusting out his hand to her "The names Yuu! I'm gonna become the greatest beach volleyball hero!! It's a pleasure to meet you miss!!!" He proceeded to bow his head as well as offer her a handshake. While others may be off put by his enthusiasm, Yuu saw no problem in bearing his full spirit into everything. Even if it was just a simple greeting.

"Ah! Zach~" Yuu called out after his own introduction was done. Yuu's smile beamed as he stepped aside for him. Watching the exchange, Yuu frowned again as he carefully observed Zach. The boy never seemed to recover, which Yuu could understand far too well, and it always hurt Yuu to see Zach acting so differently. Not that the blond could really say he knew Zach too well, Yuu knew enough to know he was struggling, similarly to Umi's weird behavior.

It upset him that he couldn't come up with a good enough way to help either of them.

"Oi! Zach," Yuu interjected throwing an arm over the others shoulder, Yuu's normal smile back on full display "You plan on playing volleyball right?" He questioned before turning to Mina "You two should be on my team with Umi! It'll be fun, I promise~" Yuu wasn't sure how to help, but...one thing he knew for sure was that these moments spent with friends, and making new friends, was definitely one form of anodyne for heartache. 'So long as people can smile together!' Yuu reassured himself as he took to the game, "Alright! Time to wiiiiin!" Yuu called as he watched Umi serve as the drunken boy, Chusin, went to counter. Which horribly backfired as it fired off into one of his teammates. He glanced at Mina as he placed a hand on her shoulder, glancing at the vauge outline of ball on her face "You're welcome I got you on my team."

Takumi watched the beach and the people on it with a far-off gaze. His messy pink hair blowing in the breeze, taking a deep breath of the sea air as he tried his best to calm down.

Ever since the events a year prior, Takumi had been working nonstop to try and rebuild what had, once again, been stolen from him and his people. The sense of anguish and sheer dismay as he weakly tried to dig up anything he could from the camp had left him in a seemingly permanent state of fatigue. He swore, his hair would be turning silver into his late twenties. Strangely enough, Kamilla stuck with him throughout the year. While her gruff and easily irksome attitude persisted, it was not altogether unwelcomed. She was the seemingly only constant in his life at this point.

Which lead him to the beach, Kamilla had agreed to taking him on vacation. If the darkened ring under his one visible eye could say anything....it was that he needed a break.

No matter how much Takumi denied it

"...You know, maybe this is the wrong beach? We could always head back to the camp and continue on with-" he was cut off as Kamilla pointed out there Kagutsuchian contact. Following his counterparts gaze, Takumi managed to pick out the one familiar face of the crowd of people. Letting out a sigh, he shrugged "Well, guess we might as well make the best of the situation...hey, Leios!!" He called out as they approached the group. A weird sense of anxiety, this would be tbe first time he was meeting the others that made up the of the 'Children of Heroes', he was the only one of that group who didn't know the others and vice versa. Which, given the events with his mother...he had a pretty good idea why he was isolated from the other child of heroes.

Sun Oct 21, 2018 10:58 pm

"Right, I don't know how to drive the vehicle. I mean it's not like I helped build it or anything." He rolled his eyes and turned back towards the rest of the group. It would be better to just let the annoying things Rohan did go, everybody really needed this vacation to go well and he didn't feel like being the one to ruin it. Still, Rohan and Liss' weirdly developing relationship was something he wasn't sure he'd be comfortable with but he managed to take it off his mind. Leios perked up as the conversation turned to a volleyball match. "Man it's been years since we last played volleyball. Sounds like a plan to me." Grinning as Liss picked him to be on her team, he walked over to them. "Looks like we have a winning team already."

There were suddenly a bunch of new faces. A tall drunkard, an enthusiastic nobility-looking type, and hyper classmate of Rohan's. The conversation surrounding the girl named Mina was unexpected but Leios could only catch parts of it from where he stood. Something about Cherokee and letters. He'd ask them about that later- wait what was he thinking? Things were awkward between Natsumi and him and he didn't even know this Mina chick. That left Rohan but it was obvious why he'd be hesitant to ask his age-old rival. Leios decided that if this situation turned out to be intriguing enough he'd suck up his ego long enough to inquire. Moving onto the tall dude though, he looked oddly familiar to Leios. Chusin Kusin definitely rang a bell, if only because he remembered thinking how odd of a name it was once before. 'This guy... was the medic who came by when Rohan and I fought Ryuji, yeah this is definitely him.' He whispered quietly as he passed by Liss, "This Chusin guy is the nosy medic from a year ago. But it seems to me that he's pretty harmless, especially as the drunken mess he is right now." As if he were trying to prove Leios wrong, only a moment later Chusin nailed his teammate, Iggy, in the face with the volleyball. "Ok maybe not entirely harmless."

The teams were shaping up nicely, so far it was Liss, Iggy, Chusin, and himself against Yuu, Natsumi, Mina, and Zach. It even looked like Solomon and this Juniper girl were going to participate too. He grinned as he realized Natsumi and Yuu had managed to get Zach to join in. "Yo Zach! Good luck!" Just then a voice that sounded like a certain relief worker called his name. He squinted his eyes to see that Takumi and Kamila had arrived. They looked exhausted but were already dressed in their swimwear so that was a good sign to Leios. "Hey! Takumi, Kamila, good to see you two made it in one piece! Or rather in two pieces." He introduced them to the group before returning to the game. He pointed towards the house before grinning, "Put your stuff in there, that's the beach house we're using. I'll be with you guys as soon as I crush these guys on the other side of the net!"

Mon Oct 22, 2018 5:47 am

“You don’t have to be the best, you just have to try your best.” Natsumi encouraged as the game began, looking forward to the friendly match’s outcome. However the round was already shaping to be more interesting than expected, thanks to the drunkard. Wincing as the ball smashed straight into Iggy’s face, a soft gasp escaped the young woman. Drunk or no, accidentally targeting the youngest person in the group was never a good start. “Are you okay?!” She called over the net, already beginning to make her way over. Nothing killed a sports mood like accidentally injures. “Do you need any healing?”
“And that’s enough volleyball for you.” Getting ready to blast him back into the bar, Lissandra hesitated as Leios suddenly whispered to her. After carefully scanning the stranger over, the young woman discovered that he right. This drunken buffoon was definitely the nosy medic from before. She’d never cared for those who couldn’t mind their own business. He could be trouble. Sighing as she redirected her aim, she nodded in understanding before blasting Chusin to the sidelines. Keeping an eye on him until he sobered up would be easier from there. “We can sort out what he wants later then, for now-“ Finally turning to Iggy, Liss gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “You alright kid? That looked like a pretty good hit.” She muttered sympathetically, but distantly, as her gaze drifted to Solomon.
He seemed out of it, despite seeming eager to play just moments before. “Why don’t you start us off for real this time?” She invited while tossing him the ball. He looked capable enough to handle things from there.