SHUSH LEVI I AM THE BEST LEADER.

[bufudine]

Who: Serph, Cielo and YOU!
Location: Starting in the plaza! Anywhere else is fine, too.
Time: During the daaaaaay
Style: ANYTHING GOES.
Status: OPEN

[ Hello dear Vatheon, how are you? Good? Good, because you've got two rather oddly dressed guys in your plaza. They don't seem to be bothered at all by the fact they're dripping wet, though the one with the dreadlocks is carrying a submachine gun. Every now and again, they converse with each other, but they don't seem aggressive.

Approach? ... Well, even if you don't, they will be approaching you. ]

Comments

[rainbowarch]

[Yukari. Yukari. Do you know what you've done? Unlike Serph, Cielo's looks extremely excited.]

Where is it?

[To be able to see a beach with his own eyes! There are no words that can adequately describe how he's feeling right now.]

[bufudine]

[Yukari, you are now their favourite person in Vatheon. Serph's usual :| has lightened into an expression of genuine curiosity and EEE THE BEACH, I mean-- Yes, the beach is something he's always wanted to see, ever since he'd seen the blue sky when he first woke to his Atma.]

Is there a blue sky?

[1/2]

[tsundyne]

Wh-Whoa.

[YOU'D THINK THEY'D NEVER SEEN A BEACH BEFORE, jeez. But it's kind of cute, in a way, so Yukari doesn't mind.

She wonders if they're not a little younger than they look, despite both of them towering over her.]

Of course there is. What other color would it be, green?

[2/2]

[tsundyne]

[...Wait. No, on second thought, they shouldn't answer that, since...that's actually kind of possible, whoops.

Bad example! She laughs it off.]

A-Anyway, come on. I'll show you.

[NOW SHE'S LEADING BOTH OF THEM. What now, "Leader," huh.]

[rainbowarch]

[Cielo is more than happy to follow Yukari. They were going to see an actual beach! Sure, he has those fleeting memories of the beach. Memories of the blue sky, the white sand, and the vast ocean, but now he was going to actually experience it.

He's silent the entire way. The anticipation is almost too much to bear.]

[bufudine]

[It's pretty hard to tell that Serph is eager to see the beach, when his expression is still the same and he's got the laziest saunter. BUT HE IS EXCITED. SO EXCITED.

He happily follows Yukari. He probably should be a little more guarded, given the unfamiliar territory and the fact Yukari is still mostly a stranger to them.

But. Beach.]

[tsundyne]

[Yes, beach beach beaaaaach.

Yukari should be a little more guarded, too, considering she's the one outnumbered here, and they're strangers to her as well. But she's pretty confident in her ability to take care of herself; and frankly she is not afraid.

They make it to the elevator without much incident; the station master calls for it, and once the doors open, Yukari steps inside.

Up they go!]

This should lead us right to it.

[...What is she, a tour guide now?]

[rainbowarch]

[A lift? Oh, so the beach was up then. That made sense. This place was underwater apparently, so a beach with a blue sky would be at the surface. Luckily for Yukari, she's spared questions about what an elevator was: these two are most familiar with them.

THIS RIDE FEELS LIKE IT'S TAKING FOREVER. But Cielo would wait a very long time if it meant seeing a beach.]

[bufudine]

[They're maybe too familiar with elevators (curse you Karma Temple!!).

Nevertheless, Serph gives Yukari a nod of acknowledgement before looking upwards, as if staring at the ceiling of the elevator is going to bring him to the beach and blue sky more quickly.]

[tsundyne]

[The staring doesn't really help, no. But luckily for them, the ride doesn't take that long in the first place; so once it stops, the doors open and Yukari leads the way out.

The blue sky is quite the sight to be hold, even for someone who's used to it; and they'll be able to hear and see the ocean immediately.]

We residents built that elevator ourselves so we could have access to this place.

...Nice, right?

[Continuing to lead the way to the sand and beach!]

[rainbowarch]

[The first thing Cielo does is look up and the sky is beautiful. He has to stop himself from transforming right there and then and taking off into it. But of course, he hears the waves and he feels the ocean breeze and. He can see it up ahead.

The beach.

It's...

Cielo makes a somewhat incoherent sound.]

Serph...

[bufudine]

[Sorry, Yukari, you're going to have to wait until these two are done with their feelings; Serph isn't following you right now.

Serph almost doesn't dare to step off the elevator; just seeing the beach and the blue sky... What's this overwhelming feeling in his chest? It's forming a tight knot, yet... he's happy? The sun... it's warm. He wants to lift his face and run walk through the sunlight.

If this isn't Nirvana, it's pretty damn close.

He can't speak; he has no words for how he feels. So Serph lightly rests a hand on Cielo's shoulder -- he's seeing this, too -- before he faces the sun and steps out of the elevator, closing his eyes and just letting the warmth of the sun wash over him. If you look, there's the tiniest of smiles on his face.]

[1/2]

[tsundyne]

[Oh...

Okay. Well, Yukari's kind of nervous for a moment, since she's made herself an impromptu tour guide for this. Especially when neither step out of the elevator at first; but then she sees their faces light up and she decides this can't be a bad reaction. No, not at all.]

[2/2]

[tsundyne]

[Heh. She watches fondly as Serph rests his hand on Cielo's shoulder and folds her arms.]

I'll take that as a yes, then...

[No worries. She won't interrupt them.]

[rainbowarch]

[The beach exceeds his wildest expectations. Cielo's memories pale in comparison. He follows Serph out of the elevator and for a moment, he's afraid that it's just an illusion. But it doesn't fade away or crumble beneath his feet.

It's real.

If only the others could see this too.

Remembering their guide, Cielo snaps himself out of his awe for a moment to turn to Yukari.]

Thank you so much for showing us this.

[bufudine]

[Serph gives Yukari an acknowledging nod.]

It's beautiful.

[And he means it. It's better than anything he could have imagined. There's only two things missing: his other comrades and a boat. No, a ship. There's supposed to be a ship out on the ocean, like the one they had blown up.]

[tsundyne]

It is, isn't it?

[She's always thought so, too, though she knows it was probably also because she hadn't seen the beach and sun for so long. Still, though, it really is a sight for sore eyes. The sunset is especially beautiful.]

You're welcome. It's, uh...safe to swim around in, too, if you're into that sort of thing.

[Still kind of curious about how strong their reaction is. Hm, but she doesn't exactly know how to bring it up as a question, so...she'll just let them enjoy themselves for now.]

[rainbowarch]

[Swimming? That sounds pretty fun. Cielo, however, is happy enough just being there. Instead, he bends over and scoops up a handful of sand. It's soft and warm and he watches as it slips through his fingers.

Really, he could just sit there all day and be content.]

[bufudine]

[Unlike Cielo, Serph's more interested in the water than the sand, and he walks towards the water's edge. He's not used to having the ground shift under his feet the way the dry sand does -- there's something not right about walking in the sand like this, but he can't place what -- but it's not long before he reaches the wet sand where water rolls in and out from the beach.

He stands there, watching the gentle waves for a moment before striding into the water itself. So much for drying off, huh?]

[tsundyne]

[WELL, you know. They can always dry off later. This is obviously an important moment, after all. She watches the two of them; Cielo, playing with the sand, and Serph with the water, and though it does feel a bit awkward, without a conversation going, she decides she's pretty content as well.

It's rare to find people to be around, where you can feel kind of comfortable and at peace, even without constant chatter. So...there is that.

Rather than forcing any more words, Yukari follows Cielo's suit, picking up some of the sand as well. She's closer to where Serph is, though, so the sand is wet, and she finds it easy to mold it into whatever she wants.

She certainly doesn't want to get dirty, but...well, she's not rolling around in it. And she can always wash her hands later...]

now with working image link I guess

[rainbowarch]

[Serph going into the water catches Cielo's attention and he turns away from the sand to get closer to the water. He's not really thinking right now, the sights, smells, and sounds are just all so new to him that he just has to explore it all.

Oh, what's that in the water? Wading in, Cielo finds that the water is warm. But that's not what has his attention right now. Sticking his hand into the shallows, he pulls up a strange object and he examines it, admiring its beautiful colors and spiral shape. He doesn't know what it is, and he doesn't feel a pressing need to ask Yukari about it right now.

Time spent asking questions was time not spent seeing and experiencing things.]

SPOILERS TEN'S NEVER SWUM IN BEACH WATERS DESPITE LIVING IN BEACH COUNTRY

[bufudine]

[Meanwhile, Serph's wading deeper in the water until he's far out enough to submerge himself fully. While the surface of the water is warm, underneath is blissfully cool. Maybe it's the influence of Varna, but the rush of water past his ears as he swims beneath the surface feels right.

This is far different from the dip they'd taken in the waterways of Svadhisthana; the salt and the gentle roll of water feels much more organic than anything he's experienced in the Junkyard. He doesn't have an oxygen tank here, though, so he can't stay underwater for too long.

When he surfaces, he turns to check on Cielo and Yukari. ......Oh. The shore sure seems pretty far away...]

[1/2] THAT'S OKAY you're also in australia everything would try to kill you

[tsundyne]

[Okay. So maybe Yukari doesn't really know what to mold the sand into at first, but she settles on the shape of a star. Maybe it's the shape of their communicators, or maybe it's the Chocobo she got to name, whose coat color reminded her of the bright shining lights in the sky...

But either way, she is making a star shape when she sees Serph all the way out there. She...

laughs a bit, but also thinks maybe he should go out so far. :|a]

H-Hey! [She calls out to him, waving, which would either be interpreted as "hello, wow you're really far out" or "get the hell back here"—

But she turns to her other companion for the moment.]

C-Cielo, does Serph know how to—

[2/2] also help i talk too much

[tsundyne]

[...she stops mid-question, instantly distracted when she sees what's in his hand.

That's a really pretty color.]

Oh, cool! You found a seashell...

Nothing to worry about, Yukari, you should see what they've swam through

[rainbowarch]

This?

[He holds up the seashell so they can both get a better look at it.]

It's very pretty, same color as the ocean, ja?

[He then looks up and out towards the water. If there's anything that the beach can't shake Cielo of, it's his natural instinct to make sure Serph is all right. An instinct that's only gotten stronger once he realized that he is essentially Serph's lone protector here.]

Hey, bro, don't go out too far or I'll have to go get you.

[He'll do it too, Serph. He'll fly right out there and pluck you out of the water like an eagle snagging a fish. But for now, Cielo simply sits down in the water because there is this thing with pincers and six legs scuttling sideways across the ocean floor and that it's really funny looking.]