Los Paraísos: The Flying Albatross

Dylan deflated as Aria presented a surprisingly good argument about why they should spend the rest of the day “relaxing.” Perhaps they were right, perhaps they could find out more by simply doing an unorthodox investigation. Either way, there was nothing much to do besides, and Trixie was hissing in his ear. “Sure,” he said with a smile, “how do you like waterparks?”

Los Paraísos: The Strip

Not long afterwards, having stowed his stuff away in a gorgeous room that he didn’t even have to pay for, Dylan lounged outside the hotel while he waited for the others to arrive. Together they would travel as a group to the waterpark, but for now he simply relaxed, wearing his swim trunks and a open shirt, having taken a cue from his Big Bro. “Come on,” he muttered as yet another band of tourists walked by, off to have a glorious day in the sun. “Any time now.”

Los Paraísos: The Flying Albatross

With a soft sigh of relief, Aria watched as the tense atmosphere dissolved as everyone became a bit more eager to visit the attractions of the resort. A blonde woman who introduced herself as Amy approached her as the group was preparing to leave for the hotel, and Aria could only grin at her offer. “I would love to,” she extended her right arm out so they could shake hands in greeting. “I’m Aria, very pleased to meet you.” So her wish of having drinking buddies had come true, pleasing her immensely. This group was certainly full of colorful characters, and she couldn’t wait to get to know them all.

---

Los Paraísos: Pellagio Lobby

The woman was quite glad when they finally reached the hotel, the journey having been a bit longer than usual due to some group members nearly getting left behind as they stared at a particularly bedazzled building and occasionally almost bumping into other people. She couldn’t blame them- her first day here she was in full tourist mode as well, eyes wide and head swivelling around as if on an axis. “Oops, careful there,” she quickly opened the large glass doors to the lobby before the red-headed girl (Estelle, was it?) could bump into it. The cooled air of the hotel lobby was a welcome respite from the heat and sun outside, but as the last person filed into the sparkling lobby a loud voice called out to them, making Aria look up to see a man with a very unique fashion sense, and even cooler hair. Not to mention, did his teeth just sparkle? He gave another greeting to the group, struck a pose and… was promptly ignored. She blinked as the rest of the group walked past him to fetch their keys and disappeared upstairs with their luggage without as much as a word to the guy, and even stranger was that he didn’t seem bothered at all, merely turning to her and Xan. Honestly, she felt a little sorry for the poor guy.

“I guess you could say we’re temporary guides and additions to your group of…” she paused. Were they friends? He certainly exuded the feeling of knowing the others quite well but the way he was disregarded made her wonder otherwise. “your group of acquaintances.” She smiled brightly, nodding in greeting while discreetly studying the cheerful man. Really, she was just meeting the most interesting people today, wasn’t she? “I’m Aria, and you are? Actually,” She paused. “do you mind if I quickly go change first? I didn’t expect that I would be visiting the beach this quickly,” she gestured to her current outfit that was rather obviously not suited for beach-going. “Xan’ll keep you company for the moment!” With that she quickly turned to run upstairs, feeling slightly guilty about leaving the guy just like that when a few moments before he had been so blatantly overlooked. Still, she didn’t quite like the idea of sand getting into her dress nor walking in heels on sand, so it was rather unavoidable.

Aria returned to the lobby after just a few minutes, now clad in her swimsuit and cover up dress as well as a pair of simple sandals. Despite her rush it seemed a few people had still managed beat her back and were waiting rather impatiently for the rest of the group to show up while Xan was conversing with the man with the impressive pompadour. She spotted Dylan standing outside the hotel while Lisette, Selan and Kapi were in the lobby. She decided to wait for more people to arrive before sorting out the groups and returned to where she had been standing next to Xan before. “Sorry about that,” the illusionist grinned apologetically.

Los Paraisos: Hotel Pellagio - Moira and Syed's room
Moira flung open the large, balcony doors with a flourish, her eyes wide with amazement. Fuck, how high were they? She could see for miles out here! From the beaches to the more metrolipan areas and everything inbetween. The view would probably be even better at night, when all the lighting would illuminate the landscape below them like a bright, glowing patchwork. The view of the sky above them was completely unobstructed by any other balconies too. Was this the top floor?

Syed hovered around behind her outstretched arm, craning his long neck past her to look around too. "No expense spared, huh..." Between this and the absolutely massive room behind them, the thought of how much this must have cost made his head spin.

Moira strode out onto the balcony, coming to a stop just before the railings. She threw her arms out to her sides, and bellowed; "GET READY PEOPLE, HERE! I! AM!!!" Her voice could be faintly heard echoing around the resort.

Syed flinched and flushed tremendously. Oh Vayu he couldn't take her anywhere.

Once their belongings had been put away and Moira's sword hidden under the massive, king sized bed's mattress (Syed was dissapointed they didn't get a twin room though), they got ready and went back downstairs.

Los Paraisos: Hotel Pellagio - Lobby

Moira and Syed arrived a little after some of the others, which was a little unusual for them. They were usually one of the first. Syed gave Dylan an apologetic look, it seemed the artist was looking particularly impatient. Had he been waiting here a while? Moira on the other hand didn't even notice.

Moira had swapped her dress for a smaller beach dress, and a one piece swimming costume under that. Not that she was planning on going anywhere near the water. It was more to help prevent the sand going places she'll never see again. Although hopefully, she'd be too busy with the bars to bother with the sand.

Syed looked exactly the same as before, like he hadn't bothered at all. No, there was no way he was getting his legs out if he could help it. Still, he had swimming trunks on underneath in case. You never know.

"Don, we need to buy you a beeper or something," Syed laughed as the pair approached him, Aria and Xan. He would have said something earlier if Moira hadn't dragged him away in her eagerness to see their room. He grinned towards the two girls and patted his bro's shoulder. "Seriously, he gets lost all the time."

Los Paraísos: Pellagio Lobby

The hotel was just as magnificent as the rest of Los Paraisos and Lucien looked around, grinning from ear to ear as he did so.

However, what he was looking forward too wasn't the hotel, but the beach. He needed to find his room ASAP then head out to soak up some sun. He was just panning to excuse himself when a familiar voice suddenly greeted them. It was Don and he looked better than he had been back at the hospital. In fact, he looked like his old self and even struck a pose. "Don," Lucien gave the man two thumbs up. "You're looking as flashy as always," the summoner noticed that the others were heading to the reception desk and he gave Don a wave. There was no time to spare! He took his own key then dashed up the stairs and all the way to his room.

Los Paraísos: Lucien's Room

He flipped on the lights then took it all in. It was a grand place and almost reminded him of his room back in the Hawthorne's manor. He shook the thoughts away then eyed the mini fridge and snack basket. There'd be plenty of time for that later, but for now he'd hurry on to the beach. He dumped his bags onto the bed then made strode out the room with a cheery grin and an almost bouncy gait. His excitement was definitely showing. In fact, the only thing he brought with him was an extra shirt, a bottle of sunblock and a towel. He had already arrived ready to hit the waves after all.



Los Paraísos: Pellagio Lobby

Aria and Xan led the pride to their hotel only to run into a bedazzling man with a flashy smile.

At first the actions that took place confused her, but after a while it became clear that he was at least an acquaintance of the guilders. He questioned them and Aria answered. Xan nodded her head to confirm what her friend had said. "We'll be showing you around today." Xan would have showed him her guilder ID just to be formal but she had left it in her own room. "We're with the guild too." She confirmed in a voice just loud enough for Don and Aria to hear.

Then Aria excused herself and Xan gave her a dismissive wave in response. "Go on," she stated with a smile. "You don't want to keep them waiting." As soon as Aria left, Xan returned her attention to Don. "That was Aria. I'm Xan, hm, who might you be and if you don't mind would you tell me who is who?" She didn't want to slip up later on, but she didn't quite remember them yet and matching their names to their faces was still a little confusing. There was the fiery redhead named Estelle, the young girl named Trixie and the nice man named Marcus. Then there was Moira and Syed but as for the others, she drew a blank.

"Whooo! I am ready to seize the day." Lucien came bouncing down the stairs like an excited kid, skidding to a stop right beside Don and Xan. "Don, Xan," he jogged in place. "See ya!" And with that he was out the door. He stopped beside Dylan and flashed his friend a grin. He was rearing to go.

Xan watched before letting out a soft chuckle. The guilders were so full of enthusiasm, it was fun to see. Not long after Aria returned and the metallurgist waved in greeting. Soon enough everyone started to gather at the lobby and Moira and Syed made an appearance as well. The latter made a comment about how Don was constantly getting lost and Xan stared at the flashy man then at everyone. "Hm, it must be pretty interesting travelling with so many people," she laughed, "I bet it's always an adventure." With that said she began walking towards the door. "Well, we won't keep you waiting any longer." Was everyone present? She nodded at Aria and waited for a confirmation of sorts.

Los Paraísos: Pellagio Lobby

Oh the sparkles and dazzles in Trixie's eyes when Don made his appearance. She bounced in place, bubbling with excitement. "I knew you'd be back, I knew it! Hehe!"

Amy of course was less than impressed. While she did appreciate the wine, her hands were full already, leaving Don's offer completely ignored. Without hesitation she tugged Trixie inside the Pellagio lobby with her along with the rest of the Pride members so they could promptly drop off their belongings and continue on with their day. Unlike the majority of the others, neither of the two made any changes to their outfits; they never had reason to have swim-clothes in the past, so coming here without any seemed to be a mistake of ill preparation. Not that it mattered, since like Moira, Amy planned to avoid any contact with basically anything that wasn't a bar, and Trixie had like four of the same outfit anyway so she didn't care much for if it got ruined with water or whatever.

The shock from Don't entrance however was still enough to earn a slap across his face - even if she had to wait to deliver it. The moment Amy and Trixie re-emerged from the lobby, following after Moira and Syed, the cleric used her palm to stamp his face with red - "Don't scare me, dumbass."

Then she plucked the glass from Don's hand, sipped at it nonchalantly, and carried on without looking back. She couldn't even begin to think about the fun in store for the night.

When Xan calmly suggested that the group take off, Trixie tugged at her wrist, and Don's wrist as well. "Everyone's ready to go out and partay! (Finally.) Maybe - maybe we'll find some ~clues~ along the way! It'll be like playing superhero secret detective of secrets, because this mission is... secret, right? Ah whatever. Let's go let's go let's go let's go!"

Los Paraísos: Pellagio Lobby

Don’s bombastic, excitement fuelled entrance was met with a cool reception. With the majority of the Pride already used to his antics, and enamoured instead with the wonderment of their personal rooms and the fun they were about to embark on (not to mention in Selan’s case more personal issues about the man), it was as if he might as well have fell flat on his face. Not the warm rush of adulation, clapping, cheers and calls for an encore he had expected. He hadn’t seen his friends in three days and this was how it was.

Don however, didn’t let the underwhelming response deter him. He still had the two new mysterious, beautiful girls Aria and Xandra in front of him, and so Don did a sweet little spin towards them, recapturing their attention with another bedazzling smile. The looks on the pair’s faces showed that they were both very much enamoured with talking to him.

“I’m Aria, and you are?” Aria asked, with a polite smile etched upon her face. As Don opened his mouth to speak, she suddenly carried on, Don’s hopes deflating once again with all the sounding grace of a deflating balloon. “Actually, do you mind if I quickly go change first? I didn’t expect that I would be visiting the beach this quickly,” She gestured to her current outfit that was rather obviously not suited for beach-going. “Xan’ll keep you company for the moment!”

And just like that, she was gone.

Don turned around, looking towards Xandra, the lobby now empty save for them two.

“…you’re not going to leave me too, are you?” Don asked, puppy dog eyes staring at Xandra, who seemed unfazed.

“No, I’m not. That was Aria. I'm Xan. Hm, who might you be and if you don't mind would you tell me who is who?" The young woman in the beautiful white summer dress asked.

SUCCESS!!

Don spun again, one hand shooting out and flashing a brilliant thumbs-up towards her.

“I’m shocked you don’t know who I am, already!” Don tuttered, his head shaking from side to side. “I’m only the former-bandit-now-G-Rank-Guilder-Musical-Bro-Extraordinaire Don Capuello!!!”

His loud voice echoed throughout the hotel. Even his friends near the top floor could hear the idiot’s bellowing.

“As for who everyone else is, it’s pretty easy to learn who’s who. I’ll teach you! First, there’s Big Sis, then there’s Magebro, then it’s the Little Missy and Cleric Sis, then we have Lightbro and Scary Sis, and Lil’ Bro and Littler Bro! Oh, and my fian- …I mean, Selan. Simple, huh?”

Xandra could only stare dumbfounded at the man stuck in a ridiculously exaggerated pose in front of her, leaning to the side with his hands on the sides of his open shirt, flashing his chest at her and smiling once again.

Who was this man? And did he really just scream he was an ex-bandit?

---

It was only a short amount of time later that the rest of the Pride began to return to the Lobby, each of them having changed into clothing more befitting of their upcoming adventures. Lucien wasted no time in dashing at full sprint towards the beach, leaving the rest of his group in the dust. Selan, Amy, Moira and Syed would be venturing towards the beach behind, under Aria’s guide, with the illusionist taking particular care to introduce the cleric and berserker to the beach’s renowned open air bars.

Xandra, meanwhile, would take Estelle, Don, Lisette (and Kapi), Dylan and Trixie to the water park. No doubt an odd collection of people… and to a water park of all places. Would animals even be allowed in there?

Everyone had so far returned to the lobby, with Lisette happily chatting to Kapi, and Trixie psyching herself and Dylan up for their adventures in sleuthing for clues. Although, just what kind of clues they could possibly find at a water park was anyone’s guess. So far, they were still waiting for Estelle… who, naturally, was late as always.

"Don, we need to buy you a beeper or something," Syed laughed as he and Moira arrived at the lobby, rejoining him, Xandra and Aria, the latter now newly changed. "Seriously, he gets lost all the time."

“Huh? No I don’t, bro!” Don looked genuinely confused, and a little hurt. “I got here before you guys and were waiting for you all to arrive! Sounds to me like you guys got lost!”

Before Don or anyone could say something next, the bro was suddenly bowled over and dropped to the floor by a single, swift slap to the cheek from Amy, who casually took the pina colada he had offered her earlier and took a sip, not once breaking stride as she headed towards the hotel’s exit, wanting to quickly head towards the beach’s bars.

“Don't scare me, dumbass." Was Amy’s only comment. Syed, Xandra and Aria just looked at the rapidly bruising man with surprise and confusion. Moira, on the other hand, couldn’t have cared less, instead taking note of Amy leaving and following after her, Syed being dragged along behind.

“Cool, let’s get this shit on. Let’s go, ladies!” She called to Aria and Selan.

“Are… are you okay?” Aria asked, her attention fluttering between Don and the people she was escorting. A shaky hand rose up from the puddle of bro on the floor, forming a weak thumbs up.

“I’m goodth... She’sth juth sayinth she missed me!”



Aria’s group started to depart, at just the right time that Estelle skidded into the lobby for her group, newly decked in a red one piece bathing suit with a loose fitting orange vest on top and yellow skirt to match. She immediately high fived Trixie and then Lisette without warning, slapping the still floor lying Don’s hand after and taking Xandra unawares with a quick high five too, before marching to the Pellagio’s entrance and bursting through, expecting the rest to follow in tow. Dylan suddenly found a heavy weight launch itself onto his back, with Estelle throwing her hands to grip him.

“Piggy back ride, Dylan! Piggy back ride!” Estelle screeched in excitement.

Estelle looked back quickly to grin at the rest of her friends, Lisette and Trixie quickly rushing behind to keep up, Xandra walking much more demurely and transfixed by the Pride, before she found her body suddenly swept up and placed on Don’s shoulders to be carried, the man already beaming at having made a new friend.

“Let’s go to the water park!!!”

---

One member of the Pride joined neither the beach party or the water park team. Watching the two groups part ways and head in different directions, Marcus waved to no one in particular, before settling down and turning to explore the resort at his own discretion. Having the day off to relax was certainly helpful, and the Pride needed it, but Marcus was a man who didn’t know how to relax. Situations like this were something he was at a total loss with. If anything, what helped him to relax more was to keep his mind active and working… and to begin trying to unravel the mystery they had been given before them. And that was something he’d also do best alone.

Hopefully the rest of the Pride would have a good time, and not get into too much trouble…

Los Paraisos: Beach
"Fuckin' tourists," Moira whined. She wasn't really used to not wearing heels, her flip-flops were bothering her feet, and she was getting a bit hot and bothered. "Why is it so busy?!"

The first beach was absolutely rammed, every single available surface covered in beach towels and parasols and more beautiful bronzed people tanning their cheeks. Even the kids! They spotted Lucien stood at the edge of the beach, by the looks of it calculating the best path across with minimal stepping on people. They persuaded him to stay with them a little longer instead.

Luckily, Aria knew of a second one. Only a short distance away, she insisted. Short distance Moira's arse.

Syed was enjoying the walk a lot more, staring wide eyed at the various bits of technology dotted about. Being a country boy himself, he had never really encountered this sort of thing despite his love for it. Even in the times he had lived in large, academic towns like Ranthel, they never had anything like this. It was increadible...!

And then they arrived.

The beach was hidden a little more than the first; behind a large section of tropical shrubbery. It was nothing to sniff at however - a large cove with crystal clear waters and a large expanse of glittering, pale sand stretching from one side to the other. Rocky outcrops stood tall at each end like bookends, one of which looked like it could be climbable if someone wanted.

At each end of the beach lay many beach chairs, complete with tables and parasols to provide ample shade, while the middle of the beach remained clear. And around the edges of the beach, on a backdrop of vibrant green plantlife, stood many open bars.

This beach was still busy, but nowhere near the level of the other. Several people had parked their towels in the middle of the beach where the views were completely clear of obstruction, soaking up the gorgeous hot sun. Others had sat down on some of the chairs, sipping through straws at sparkling, brightly coloured drinks as they chatted about whatever. One person was even snorkling close by.

It was like paradise.

Paradise with a catch.

"Come on then!" Moira exclaimed, waving towards the others then striding towards the nearest bar. It had a large sign above it in several languages, and thankfully one was in Artar so she could tell they served cocktails. However, something caught her attention, and she stopped and froze. This bar... it was missing something. Something really important. Something every bar on this beach was missing!

"Where's the seats?!"

"We have plenty of seating on the sea front, maam," the lady behind the bar said cheerfully, motioning towards the many beach chairs.

Moira's eyes widened in horror. "What?!" She couldn't... she couldn't hide away at the bars?! She'd have to sit with everyone else on the beach and get sand kicked in her face and all that?! "Fuck!"

Los Paraísos: The Strip

Hearing a commotion in the lobby, the clearest sign that his friends had finally come down from getting changed, Dylan started to turn around when he felt a heavy weight suddenly land on his back.

Piggy back ride, Dylan! Piggy back ride!” Estelle screamed excitedly.

“Woah!” Dylan cried as he stumbled forward, his arms automatically reaching back to form stirrups for Estelle’s legs. “You can’t just do that, woman!” he protested, though he didn’t drop her as he quickly regained his footing. “I don’t know how long I can do this for...”

Estelle didn’t seem to care about that. ”Let’s go to the water park!!!”

His face already starting to redden from the exertion, Dylan decided to use his little bit of energy to make this the best damn piggy back ride. “Hold on!” And with that he dashed off as fast as he could, causing Estelle to scream with delight.

Los Paraísos: The Water Park

He wasn’t, however, able to carry her all the way to the water park, having forced her to walk less than half-way to the park. Still, it had been fun, even if the small of his back was hurting, and he wanted nothing more to find a pool and simply float.

Upon entering the park, however, all thoughts of lounging flew from his mind. In front of them was sprawling park, with several pools, numerous slides with all kinds of contortions, food stands, and even a few shacks that sold some alcohol. He smirked at that - poor Moira and Amy and them all had gone off to find a some bars.

Why would you go to the bar when you could have the best of both?

Turning to Trixie he smiled mischievously at the girl. “So, sidekick, which slide should we investigate first?”

Los Paraisos: Beach

"We have plenty of seating on the sea front, maam."

"What?! Fuck!"

Amy's shoulders deflated, her well-kept posture easing into something less merry and more... bleh. "Couldn't have phrased that better myself." She sucked through her teeth, turning her narrowed eyes towards the sea front seats, before returning to Moira and Aria. Her burns would probably churn out worse than Trixie's and Moira's, being as inactive and indoorsy as she is. Since Vandrell she's even grown a tad paler than usual, though her health was in as perfect condition as always. It's only thanks to some minor healing spells that Trixie didn't look like a raccoon upon their arrival to Los Paraisos - but Amy would really like to not spend the small vacation they have expending any magical energy. At all.

Don't even get her started on sand.

"There must be other bars along the beach front." She began glancing around once again, hoping to scout out some more similar buildings nearby. "I'm not doing beach seats."

"W, well," the clerk tugged at her collar, still maintaining her smile albeit wobbly. "There is another one further down the front, but it's quite a walk away..."

Tap. Tap. Amy nursed her forehead on a nearby wall "Ugh. Tell me someone here has sunscreen. Not the oily shit."

---

Los Paraisos: Water Park

"So, sidekick, which slide should we investigate first?"

Trixie's eyes widened. "Okay so you are my new favorite person right now? I MEAN. UM. UHH. Oh bluey, we don't have any masks, huh." She turned to Estelle next, raising her finger. Excitedly, she inhaled deeply, her entire body straightening itself, ready to give an order to the side-sidekick to seek out some masks and maybe capes - then she turned back to Dylan, her tone the same as before. "Wait no, no masks helps us blend in more. Uhh..."

A scream erupted from the middle of the park. Trixie whirled around in a snap; had her braided pigtails been unbraided for this vacation, they would have whacked Dylan right in his pretty face.

There. There! Trixie pointed at a monster water slide, the attraction towering over everything else in sight. The tunneled flumes extending from its peak whirred and whirled in haphazard directions into a lake of a pool. One of those wavy pools. With tons of smelly people on doughnut floaties. They'd all be dead fishies by now if the sparkmeister were there. SIGH

"The scream came from other there!" She called out, now pointing towards the tunnel's exit. Promptly a pigtailed girl flopped right out and splashed rinto the pool, where the remains of her body sunk and washed away and sunk some more. "There's a whooole line of people getting gobbled up by that thing! What if, what if the missing ladies are stuck in there? Or... digested and eaten." The prankster jumped behind Dylan, now holding onto one of his arms while she continued pointing with her other. Slowly she craned her head to gaze at Lisette and Xandra, wide-eyed. "We should go and invest-a-gate it. You two go first. Go. Right now. The upper-sidekick demands it."

Los Paraísos: Water Park

"Wooooow!" Lisette breathed in awe, gazing out at the park. It was a funland for people (and capybaras!) of all ages, and the air was filled with smells of all sorts of exotic and local foods, as well as the sounds of splashing and the half-ecstatic, half-terrified screams of small children careening down the slides.

"We should go and invest-a-gate it. You two go first. Go. Right now. The upper-sidekick demands it." Trixie ordered, pointing at the enormous slide before them.

"Leave it to us!" Lisette thrust out her hand in a V-sign, grinning at Xandra. "Expect a full report shortly!"

First order of business? Lisette yanked off her sundress, revealing her turquoise and floral-patterned bathing suit comprised of a halter tanktop and tight shorts. Considering Lisette tended to wear dresses with flouncy skirts and long boots, it was, frankly, weird seeing the contrast between her unexpectedly modelesque figure and her childish, wide-eyed excitement as she ran as quickly as her lanky limbs could take her, especially since the ground was nearly burning her bare feet.

With Xandra behind her, Lisette jogged onto the cool surface of the structure and ascended the ramp that whirled around, catching up to the line of people queued near the top.

---

Los Paraísos: Beach



"Ugh. Tell me someone here has sunscreen. Not the oily shit."

"Here..." Selan said, fishing around in her tote bag for her sunscreen and passing it to the cleric. She rarely suffered from sunburns, but she never spent significant time in the sun without it; it's terrible for your skin.

"My umbrella can probably fit the two of us?" she offered, although she only planned to sunbathe until her drink was finished. At this rate, it wouldn't take long; during the walk over, she managed to slurp down another third of it, and consequently, she was in a much better mood than before. Perhaps enough to even swim a little, or play a game. "Come on, let's go, ahaha..."

Selan opened her beach umbrella, which turned out to be much bigger than she thought -- after sticking it in the sand, it cast a large shadow, easily big enough to cover two of the beach chairs without Selan and Amy having to move them closer together.

She pulled at the strings of her cover-up dress to loosen it and tucked it away in her bag once it was removed, and immediately there were a few leering eyes set upon the strikingly pale songstress in a bright white bikini. Ignoring it, she promptly stretched out on the beach chair and closed her eyes, her drink still in her hand. An almost goofy smile inadvertantly broke out across her face in the realization that she hadn't been this relaxed in probably months. She would enjoy it, at least until the others went to get their own drinks from the bar.

Los Paraisos - Beach

The sparkling water, the white sand, the waves. Ah! He was going to jump right in, but in order to reach his destination he had to get past one obstacle -- a mountain of people.

Desperately, he looked left and right in search of a path to the ocean. He didn't want to accidentally step on someone, that would get him in trouble and if he got in trouble, he'd miss valuable swimming time. Lucien tiptoed past a few people who were sunbathing only to be called back to the bar. It would have been impolite to just run off, so he stuck around and eyed the cool drinks, it was a sunny day. He was just about to excuse himself, but Aria led them to a less crowded beach that was just as beautiful.

The summoner was practically bouncing in place as he hugged two surfboards tightly against him. "Oi, oi, Syed," he gave the lightning mage a huge grin. "We should hit the waves, we guys have to stick together after all." He raised the boards above his head. "I rented an extra for you." He bobbed his head up and down, the more the merrier. They walked up to the bar and he watched as Moira and Amy were given upsetting news. "Eh, so does that mean we're moving again?" It turned out that was exactly what they did and Lucien followed after Syed, surf boards held tight and eyes locked onto the sparkling sea.

A new thought jumped into his head and for a moment he looked almost terrified. He turned to face Syed. "I almost forgot, if we step into the water...you aren't going to zap me, right?" He didn't really understand the man's powers yet or how they worked in water, but he did know about water conducting electricity. "I mean," A mischievous smile crept up onto his face. "That would be a shocking experience." He snickered at his own joke before the puzzled look returned to his face. "Though it would probably hurt me, so I just want to make sure."



Los Paraisos - Waterpark

Trixie tugged on her wrist before darting off and she followed, struggling to keep up.

Xandra couldn't help but smile at the excited girl and everyone's enthusiasm, they were so interesting. She quickened her pace only to be swept up onto Don's shoulders without any notice. She let out a surprised yelp, the man had caught her off guard, he was definitely a colorful and eccentric person. Xan blinked as if in a daze and just when she had recovered the ex-badit-now-G-rank-guilder ran off and the only thing she could do was hold on tight to make sure she didn't fall. Helplessly, she held on and wished that the waterpark wasn't far away. Xan wondered how Aria was doing. The day was going to be both different and interesting for sure.

Soon enough they reached the waterpark and she was back on solid ground. She ran a finger over the cement happy to be down and alive.

"--What if, what if the missing ladies are stuck in there? Or... digested and eaten." Xan stood up straight and turned to look at what the prankster was pointing at. It was the water slide. Trixie, however, seemed convinced that it was evil. "We should go and invest-a-gate it. You two go first. Go. Right now. The upper-sidekick demands it."

Xan smiled at the girl, straightened up then gave her the same reaction she gave her superiors. She saluted, "ma'am, yes, ma'am. We'll patrol the area and come back with the needed information." Her smiled turned into a small grin, but that didn't stop her from looking as professional as she could.

Lisette struck a victory sign then grinned at her. Xan chuckled in reply. "Alright, partner, I'll be sure to watch your back." They were all so lively, but she didn't mind. Xan followed Lisette all the way to the stairs but stopped when her partner got in line. Water and her never really got along, what with her arm and all. She gave the girl a salute then motioned for her to go ahead, "I'll check things out here and bring them information on the structure. Best of luck fighting the beast from inside."

Los Paraísos: Water Park

It didn’t take long for Estelle’s group to jaunt to the water park. Alongside the exhausted Dylan, she gasped in amazement at the various, wonderful attractions on offer all around. The giant, winding tubes and slides, the various pools and wave machines. Jacuzzis and lazy rivers. Plenty of people also laid under parasols, sunbathing whilst delighting with mixtures and cocktails from nearby bars. Estelle wondered why exactly the others went to the beach when all of this was here. She wasn’t a particular fan of sand, and how it’d get trapped in-between her toes, so this… this was paradise. On the other hand, the water park didn’t offer surfing, so Lucien certainly won out in that regard. And there were no sharks. Maybe Moira hoped to wrestle and fight a shark?

Lisette and Xandra quickly fled to assault the ‘suspicious’ water slide that Trixie had spied. No sooner had the two ran off to tackle it, then Trixie’s fingers darted to yet another scream filled slide on the other side of her.

“AH!” She squeaked. “That looks suspicious too! Supersis! Superbro!”

Estelle’s neck craned up… and up… and up… until she could go no further, the peak of the mammoth water slid obscured by the blitzing sunlight above. It was so… so high. Even higher then the one Lisette and Xandra went to, and that slide was formidable in its own right.

A grin spread across Estelle’s lips.

“All right!” She punched her fists together. “Supersis Estelle Fenix, ready to attack! C’mon, Don!!”



She reached out and grabbed the man’s arm, but found even with a tug, he did not move. She looked back, and Don too simply stared at the water slide. His feet… shaking.

“Don? You scared?” Estelle asked, her excitement becoming replaced with concern.

“Sc-scared?” Don quivered back. “Um… yeah! Of… of heights! I don’t like heights! Sorry, Big Sis…”

Before Don knew it, his chest was gripped and assaulted by a powerful hug from the very sorry Estelle. Don felt… glad to see how much Estelle cared, until her grip grew tighter and tighter, crushing him. He had to rapidly tap on Estelle’s arms, hoping she would let go so he could breathe again. And thankfully, eventually, she did.

“Don’t worry, Don! Me and Dylan will take that one on! C’mon, ‘superhero!’” Estelle giggled, snatching Dylan’s wrist and propelling him to the water park’s tallest slide.

Trixie was left beside Don, who just stared at him with a curious gaze. “Superbro…? You’re not scared of heights, are you…?”

“Actually, I… er…” Don’s eyes shifted left and right. “Don't tell anyone, but I can’t actually swim. And er…” With a point, Don showed how the bottom of the slide emptied into a large pool, a watery grave should Don have attempted to ride it.

Los Paraisos: Beach
Syed's smile faded very quickly as Lucien spoke. Well, that explained why he had two surfboards. He thought he'd be trying something stupid with them, like putting one foot on each or something.

This felt worse. His eyes longingly drifted to the ocean before them. How nice would it be to just go out there and swim? Swim and swim and swim and not stop until he couldn't see land anymore? He was a pretty strong swimmer despite his appearance, he could go for a while probably. Just him on his own. Nobody else. Just him against the world.

He then looked back to Lucien, his expression upset. Somehow, as well intentioned Lucien's suggestion was, that hit him hard. He wanted to go out and surf with him, even though he had never surfed before and would probably end up knocking his teeth out on the board. He wanted to go out there and just laugh and act like a prat and do what he wanted rather than needing a second opinion on absolutely everything. It hurt.

Except...

"I mean, that would be a shocking experience. Heheheheh... Though it would probably hurt me, so I just want to make sure."

Syed stared at him numbly for a second. Wh... what? Then finally, a funny noise came up from the back of his throat. Followed closely by a horrific snorting laugh as he gave in.

"Pffffffhahahahahahahahahaha what?!" he spluttered. Oh man, that was one hell of a mood whiplash, although it was would be a little unfair to Lucien to bring the mood down telling him as such. "...Shocking experiance, oh my word..." he laughed a little more, a large grin spreading across his face. "That was a good one! Geez, hahahahahahaha! You're great with jokes."

He hugged himself a little uncomfortably, although he couldn't help himself from smiling. He felt better already. "I... can't go surfing with you though. I'm stuck with Moira, remember? She can't swim." His smile widened to a particularly dorky smirk though. "I guess I can enlighten you on the electricity thing though." He chucked at his own terrible pun. "What is it with everyone asking me that today? Anyway, yeah, water does conduct my electricity better than air, but I'll need to conciously cast to produce anything you'd notice. So I won't be zapping anybody. Even if I did cast I-!"

"SHUT YOUR FACE!!!" Moira bellowed, headbutting him in the back and sending him flying to the floor in a cloud of sand. "NOBODY GIVES A SHIT!" She glowered over him as he writhed in pain on the sand, a drink gripped in each hand. "Now get your ass up, they're waitin' on us. You comin'?" She added to Aria.

He gave her one hell of a glare as he began to heave himself back up. Ow ow ow ow-!

"Woah, check out some of the chicks here today!"

A group of six men had just arrived at the entrance of the beach, looking across the pale sands. A couple of them, including the one who had just spoken, was looking directly towards where Selan and Amy were. They were all shirtless, muscular and toned, and looked like they had been at the baby oil before they came out. These were men aiming to impress.

They sauntered across the beach as if they owned the place, before pushing two large poles deep into the sand. One of them began to draw the lines of a court around the poles, giving Selan a cheeky wink as he did so. Another began to tie a net into place. Those with nothing to do just did a couple of stretches.

A volleyball court. Soon enough they split into two groups of three, and began to play against each other. In the loosest sense of course, as they seemed to be having a little difficulty keeping their eyes off the assets of the women relaxing nearby and on the ball. The way many of the others on the beach acted made it look like this was a regular occurance.

Moira sneered. "Look at them fuckers..." she spat as she walked next to Amy and handed her a glass. Syed walked a little gingerly behind her, wincing slightly. "Keep yer eyes on the ball!"

Los Paraísos: Water Park

Watch my back...?

Lisette looked back at Xan, who had distanced herself from the opening of the slide.

Maybe she can't swim? Lisette thought, deciding not to press too much. "Sure!" she smiled, returning the salute. "I won't let you down!"

"Excuse me, you're holding up the line," the attendant next to the entrance said, gesturing to the line building up behind them.

"Oops, okay! Here we... gooo!!"

Lisette held Kapi tightly and ran into the tunnel with a running slide.

"Waaaaaooooow!!!" the girl cried, her voice bouncing all over the walls of the slide and finally getting downed out along with all of the others sliding in front of and behind her.

After a few moments, Lisette somehow tumbled out backwards from the exit, and crashed into the water with a splash. She quickly resurfaced, holding Kapi above the water and sputtering and laughing at the same time.

"I won, I beat the monster!" she called to a waiting Trixie, much to the confusion of the guests around her. "No sign of the victims, though!"

---

Los Paraísos: Beach



"Look at them fuckers..."

Selan definitely noticed the looks she was getting, and popped the straw of her drink in her mouth, finding nothing but ice at the bottom of her glass.

Did she really drink that whole thing!?

One of the men, who appeared to be 68% arm muscles, jumped high in air and punched the ball right into the net, causing an uproar of laughter from the other six.

"Nice going, dude! NAILED IT!" they taunted, cracking up like it was the funniest thing in the world, but still taking a moment to check and see if the group of female Guilders were listening.

"Just fuckin' serve it!" their friend roared, his blush camouflaged by the growing sunburn spreading over the tops of his shoulders and the tip of his nose.

Maybe it was the potent mix of vodka and rum that Selan had imbibed in a very short amount of time, or maybe it was just the way she had no qualms about dealing with idiotic men, but she suddenly got up from her chair and started walking over. The uneven sand made up for her rather unsteady sauntering.

The three with their backs to Selan didn't notice anything until the others ignored the ball entirely, letting it get spiked into the sand.

"Care for a match with us?" Selan grinned, folding her arms and swinging her hip to the starboard side.

Los Paraísos: The Water Park

“That’s certainly...impressive.” Dylan wasn’t scared of heights, especially when he knew he was safe and sound encased in plastic tube, but he still couldn’t help but feel completely dwarfed by the thing. Spinning around to Trixie, he gave her his best thumbs up. “Well take care of that one - you best find yourself a slide to check out, sidekick! Report back here afterwards!” 


At that time Estelle had finished hugging Don - poor guy was scared of heights - and was pushing him forward. “Just a sec!” Whipping off his shirt, he balled it up and tossed it at Don. “Hold onto this Big Bro!” Letting himself be pushed and prodded, he and Estelle joined the line for the water slide.

And it took forever. If it wasn’t for the high vantage point, allowing him to see the rest of the park what what he swore was all of Los Paraísos, he would have sworn that all the patrons were in line for this one slide. It was too be expected, though, as the slide was a beauty.

He turned to Estelle as they neared the top and pointed out towards the ocean. “Just look at it, Estelle.” The sun shining bright on the water, reflecting in bright sparks as the waves crashed upon the golden shores. From their height all the people looked small and rather indistinguishable, but Dylan thought that just made the sight even better. “Isn’t it wonderful? All these people from so many places - strangers, friends, lovers - all gathered together at this place where the earth meets the endless force of the sea and just having fun.” 


“This really is paradise.”

Los Paraisos - Beach

"I guess I can enlighten you on the electricity thing though."

Lucien broke into a grin before breaking into a fit of laughter. "Haha! That was a good one." He turned to give the ocean a quick look. "I sea what you did there, Syed." The summoner bobbed his head up and down as Syed talked. It was interesting how different applications of magic worked in different ways. He was just about to ask a question when Moira came from out of Nowhere and knocked the electricity mage down into the sand. "Ouch," he mumbled sympathetically before inching away from the irritated looking Moira.

He offered Syed a helping hand. "C'mon, let's not keep them waiting, yeah?" He chuckled nervously. "Wouldn't want them to kill us."

At that moment loud, confident voices echoed across the beach and Lucien turned his head to see men who looked more like bulldogs than people. What were they eating? The guys were playing volleyball though he noticed how they eyed Selan and Amy. His brows furrowed then he followed after the others. The obnoxious behavior continued for a bit more before Selan rose from her chair and challenged them to a game. What, what, no. Lucien dropped both surfboards only to have them fall on his toes. He hopped back, nearly falling onto his backside.

Those guys looked like meat shields. They would destroy guys like him and Syed wasn't bulky either...but then again, they did have Moira and she wrestled bears and snapped at monsters like they were nothing. Okay, maybe the could actually do this. He grinned at Selan then at the men who were playing volleyball. "Sounds like it could be fun, yeah?"



Los Paraisos - Water park

Xan returned the salute with a smile then looked around the slide. It was just an ordinary water park with nothing out of the ordinary.

Families and people were enjoying the day, swimming, relaxing in one of the bars, or taking on water slides. It was a shame that people were going missing though, but they'd fix the problem. They wouldn't let innocent vacationers get kidnapped and they'd get to the bottom of this and punish whoever was behind it. Xan took one last look around the vicinity then made her way back to the pool side. The girl gave Trixie a salute, "Lisette has gone in to scout the perimeter, everything on the outside looks safe." She noticed that Dylan and Estelle were missing then looked around only to see them standing in line. Don, however, was still at the pool side.

She had expected someone as energetic as him to jump in first chance he got.

"Not too fond of swimming either?" She asked with an arch of the eyebrow. Xan sat by the poolside, dangling her legs over the edge and submerging them in the cool water. Everyone was so happy and watching them just brought a smile to her face.

Los Paraísos: The Beach

It seemed her group was none too happy to find that the beach bars here were lacking in seats, but at least there were available beach chairs lined up on the sand, many of them with large umbrellas to block the sun. After some grumbling everyone seemed to settle down some, with an umbrella being set up and sunscreen being passed around. Aria turned to the bartender to order her drink and to borrow a large umbrella just in case they needed some more shade- the illusionist doubted everyone would be able to fit under Selan’s.

A loud yell made her turn in time to see poor Syed get knocked over from a headbutt to the back from Moira and she winced in sympathy. Watching as Lucien helped Syed back on his feet, she answered Moira and grabbed her drink from the counter and moved over to where Selan had set up her umbrella, sticking her own borrowed umbrella next to it so they now had a total of four shaded chairs.

“Four chairs should be enough for now, right?” Before she could get an answer however, a loud and quite boisterous entrance was made by six men who sauntered down the beach, setting up a volleyball court next to where they were located. She raised an eyebrow, watching them flex and stretch rather exaggeratedly, lips twitching in amusement at their attempt to garner the attention of the ladies on the beach. They weren’t bad to look at, she decided with a tilt of the head, but it was unfortunate they weren’t her type. It seemed that they were rather interested in her little group however, and would often glance over during their game which was rather awfully played in her opinion. If they were going to show off shouldn’t they pay more attention- Oh too late, one of the guys got hit in the face while waggling his eyebrows at Selan.

Too engrossed in watching the men’s attempts to show off Aria barely noticed Selan stand up and saunter over to the edge of the drawn lines and challenge them to a game. The illusionist blinked in surprise; her first impression of the woman was that she was a bit more withdrawn and demure than the other guilders but perhaps this wasn’t the case at all. Aria took another sip of the mojito in her hand before balancing it on the small table between two chairs. It seemed that Lucien was for a game as well, so she shrugged off her cover dress to reveal her own two-piece swimsuit and chimed in with the two. “I’m certainly up for a game or two,” she crossed her arms and gave a flirty wink to the men. “if you’re not too afraid of losing, that is.”

Los Paraisos: Beach

Oh gods. Amy had never rolled her eyes so hard in her life. She was inflicted with second-hand embarrassment as Lucien wandered over the bar to tell some dumb joke, and Syed laughed like a maniac at it. Luckily Selan had calmly convinced Amy to go along with her to take shelter under an enormous umbrella; had she still been by the bar at this point, she'd probably continue banging her head against the wall.

Not that things got any better from their position either, as a crowd of onlookers whirred by and stared their way. Amy spat in their direction as they began to set up their own volleyball court, before turning away and drinking away - almost chugging - at the beverage Moira handed her. "Fucking men."

But then the dancer suddenly rose from her chair and offered to play a game with them...?? And Lucien backed her challenge up!? And Aria too!? Geez, if Amy knew her team well enough, Moira would eventually take up the offer too, wouldn't she? Fuck.

Amy still refused to even look at the inhumanly-shaped pigs. Her drink had already been finished by then. For one thing the cleric was anything but sporty material, but to play along with some chauvinistic assholes? "No. Fuck. That. I'm not moving."

---

Los Paraisos: Water Park

Trixie watched with her mouth slightly agape as Don did his best to explain why he avoided the water slide - no, it wasn't due to a fear of heights, but the man couldn't swim. And judging by the way he stuttered and shuddered with his speech and unsure hand movements, the man seemed pretty embarrassed about that characteristic.

"Aw, hey, Superbro, that's not, that's not something to freak out over, okay?" She scanned her surroundings; the only Pride member returning already was Xandra, who took her time leisurely. Trixie then leaned in towards Don, flopping her hand towards him in a request that he bend down to her level. The prankster then cupped a hand around her mouth as she spoke softly, just above a whisper. "It's ooo', I gots a secret too. I mean it ain't really a secret. But Amy and I can't swim either."

Trixie then pulled away from him and wrapped her arms behind her own back, taking what looked like a modest pose as she smiled at him. "I mean, honestly, the rivery thing in that one ruins place was really scary... but at least the others knew how to... oh! Nice lady's back!"

She bowed sloppily as the metallurgist delivered her report before turning to Don and asking a question about him swimming. Seemed like she couldn't or at least didn't like to swim either from the way she said it. Then Trixie's attention snapped to Lisette, as the archer called out her report as well.

"Oh, butterballs! I coulda sworn that no-good dirty rotten slide was up to somethin." Disappointed, the prankster's shoulders sank with a sigh signature to Amy. But there were still other suspects out there - she couldn't give up just yet! The prankster then squinted her eyes towards the slide Estelle and Dylan agreed to take on. "Maybe his twin brother is the culprit!"

Los Paraísos: Water Park

“Just look at it, Estelle. Isn’t it wonderful? All these people from so many places - strangers, friends, lovers - all gathered together at this place where the earth meets the endless force of the sea and just having fun.”

“This really is paradise.”

Estelle looked out from her perch on the slide’s stairs, looking out across the rest of the water park and most of the island resort itself, too. They were climbing so high that the people below looked like tiny ants. The place was beautiful. The crystal clear blue waters crashing in against the beach’s sand, vibrant and lush palmtrees gently swaying back and forth. Screams of excitement and laughter ringing out from all around them. They had only just gotten here, and only yet begun to explore, but Dylan was absolutely right. The place was a paradise. It had a powerful, energising effect that made her want to stay here for far, far longer then she suspected they could. Forever even, if she didn’t have other priorities. She was happy a lot of the time, but it was rare that she ever felt content. And here she was, even if Los Paraisos was plagued with its own series of troubles…

“Geez, Dylan,” Estelle’s cheeks flushed as red as her hair, and she grinned back to the Matter Artist. “Are you a writer too, or something? You have quite a way with words, y’know!”

Estelle clamoured up the metal steps even quicker, after she noticed she and Dylan had been holding up the line somewhat with their staring out over the resort. Although it felt like eternity, it wasn’t much longer that finally… belatedly… they had arrived at the top. And the bottom of the water park felt so… so… so far away.

“C’mon then, Dylan!!” Estelle screamed, gripping Dylan’s wrist again and charging for the water slide’s entrance. “Let’s gooooooooo!”

Estelle’s bellowing voice became a loud, loud echo.

---

“Ah… it’s… er…! Not that I’m not fond of swimming!!” Don futilely tried to protest out of embarrassment when Xandra returned to him and Trixie. Truthfully, Don felt a little bit better about his predicament after learning the Little Missy and Cleric Sis were as disabled as him in that respect, but Xandra’s sudden question threw him for a loop and sent spiralling back into embarrassment and denial again. The thought that Xandra might not have enjoyed swimming herself never crossed his mind. Because… who didn’t? At least, that was what he was always told.

“I’m just… er… waiting! Y’know! I ate something less then an hour ago so, I have to wait. Otherwise it’s… er… not good for your body! Y’know!” Don’s shifty eyes scoured the entire place. “A-a-anyway, what about you, Lil’ Sis?” Don asked, trying to push the attention off him. “Slide too… scary?”

“Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!”

A shrill scream pierced his ears, and Don instinctively shivered. Laughter soon then erupted after a tremendous explosion – a ball barrelling into the pool at the end of the slide throwing huge volumes of water out over the side… and all over Don.

“Ahh!” The man screamed too.

“Ahahahaha! That was fun! Again!” Estelle’s head popped out the water, laughing over and over again. “Ah… where’s Dylan?”

“I’m… I’m going to get some drinks.” Don shook his body from side to side, shedding water droplets from his body in the way a dog would. “Would any of you guys want one?”

Los Paraisos: Beach
What was Selan doing?! Syed stared wide eyed at the songstress as she sort of wobbily sauntered over to the men. He was starting to wonder by now if Selan had a bit of a wild side, and they were only just starting to see it now they had been together as a group for a while. Was it her drink? He thought she didn't drink alcohol. He picked up her empty glass and gave it a little sniff warily. Yeah. Alcohol. Welp. If she fancied it he guessed.

Meanwhile the group of men stopped, a couple not very subtly with their mouthes gaping at the ivory-skinned beauty. A stunning woman of contrasts, slim and delicate but with assets where, as far as they were concerned, it counted. She was something else. Did... did she just ask for a game? Their faces lit up. Oh man, this didn't happen very often!

One of them - a large, freckled man - cocked his head to one side. "Us? You got a group?"

Lucien and Aria both stepped forwards. A couple of them exchanged glances with each other when the former announced he was joining; he didn't look the sporty sort. They couldn't really figure out how a guy like him was hanging around with such beautiful women. What a guy they thought, giving him a nod of approval.

“I’m certainly up for a game or two,” Aria added with a flirty wink. “If you’re not too afraid of losing, that is.”

"Woooooaaaaah!" one of the men grinned as he blushed slightly, while the others laughed or wolf whistled. "That's fighting talk, that is!"

"No. Fuck. That. I'm not moving." Amy practically growled, looking in a completely different direction. Syed found himself sort of agreeing with her, although for different reasons. He was usually up for a laugh, but to play a sport he'd never played before with a bunch of beefy strangers? The last thing he wanted was for his beanpole frame to be compared to this lot. And with his bond with Moira to boot...

Wait-!

"What?!" Moira practically bellowed, staring at Amy in confusion. "Don't you want to screw these guys over?"

Amy protested, although Moira wasn't having any of it. Grabbing the cleric by the wrist, she dragged her out of her chair and towards the court. She was going to have fun whether she liked it or not! They needed her. How were they supposed to teach these guys a lesson otherwise?

"Moira-!" Syed started, although she wasn't listening to him either. Instead, he was suddenly struck by a scrunched up beach dress right in the face when Moira threw the thing off, revealing her plain, black one piece swimsuit.

"Oh, there's six of you! That's perfect!" one of the guys grinned. Oh man, it was their lucky day. Sure, there was those two guys and the woman who looked like some terrifying scarred bear, but the other three! Who knew why they were in such an odd group.

---

"You ready?" 68% arm muscle guy called after a couple of minutes, doing a few more stretches. By now everyone who was going to change had the time to, such as the removal of any footwear and the like. Moira stood at the front near the net, rotating her shoulder in it's socket. By now it had a very small bandage on it, covering only her worst injury. She scowled a little. Was she invisible here? These guys were focused a lot on Selan, Aria and Amy. Well, fuck them. Their loss.

Syed stood behind her towards the rear, looking very uneasy. All he had done was remove his sandals and shirt, choosing to roll up his trouser legs a little instead of take them off altogether. His tattoo was a little more expansive than it appeared in his normal clothing, spreading across his shoulder and partially across his chest. He hugged himself a little with a frown despite the heat. Would this lot even be able to concentrate on the game?

"We'll go easy on you!" the man with the ball grinned, throwing the ball towards them. "Your serve!"

Moira got herself ready. The ball was given to her as the strongest on the team. Well, probably. None of them had seen Aria in action yet. Throwing the ball in the air, she swung her arm then punched it over the net. She took care not to punch it too hard though.

The ball struck one of the guys who was distracted by Selan, bouncing off his forehead. Well, that was one way to get his mind back on the game. His friends seemed to find this funny, bouncing the ball then driving it back over the net with some speed...