[IC] Epithet Erased: Use Your Words

[Lugubrious]

By eight o'clock the meager cloud cover that slipped in overnight cleared away, leaving fair skies, a scattered few fluffy cumulus, and another beautiful day. The strident rays of a southern west coast sun beat down on the colorfully concentric umbrellas and white sands of the beach at Otterholt Point. Already a number of footprint trails besmirched the sandy shore, swept clean of yesterday's traffic by the night winds, but not that many, as people weren't out in force yet. And why should they be on vacation? No school, no shifts, no deadlines, no worries—for a little while the resort's guests could take life easy.

And Otterholt made it easy to take it easy. Lovely pools, rows of comfortable deck chairs, fluffy white beds, and a stretch of nigh-pristine beach made relaxing a cinch either in water or on terra forming, giving visitors ample opportunities to soak up the sun and let their cares drift away. If feeling more active, and not inclined to swim laps, they could head over to the sports courts, gym, or archery range instead. Thirsty patrons could stop by any number of the small bars, which readily served a wide variety to anyone with the blue wristband denoting adulthood. And of course, there were the restaurants. The red-roofed Cornucopia, a buffet open breakfast, lunch, and dinner, would be open for another hour before the platters and vats went away to prepare for the midday meal.

Out on the beach, the by-now familiar group of Texan college buddies were gathering to practice volleyball, attracting other sporty folks and a few past-their-prime but dependable dads to get a game going. Out on the water bounced the Floating City, a vast, inflatable raft seldom without a bevy of children jumping about in glee. Resort staff currently worked to set up nylon barriers and a foam machine, which would soon become a bubble pit for young and not-so-young to romp in to rousing music. The speakers belted out an assortment of classic high-spirited tunes, not too loud, but notable enough to fill the shorefront with energy.

Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand...”

Today, of course, was also bazaar day. A half-dozen stalls from the local area had set up shop on the beach, about halfway between the volleyball court and the work-in-progress foam pit. There was Diversion, manned by one Harry Heddlon, whose long, scruffy beard never went still owing to how much he talked. For sale he offered decks of cards, board games, books, and even some movies. Nearby stood Mejor de Mexico with its rows and rows of Spanish-flavored knickknacks, trinkets and souvenirs for people wanting to capture a slice of their current enjoyment and be reminded of better days it whenever they looked over their dresser or desk. Abuela Garcia, pleasant but a hard bargain. Next door was its big sister, Taste of Esperanto, which peddled similar wares of a more worldly nature. Little could be gleaned about its quiet manager, Emest Blauerstein, except that he'd traveled the globe in his younger years. Miss Tabby Pernickle and her Dalmatian, Ruby, ran the jewelry stand, taking a pretty penny to help people look and feel fine. Lastly, Mila Lister's excursion booth offered day trips to the farms outside Sweet Jazz City, where interested parties could pet some animals, pick some berries, and see the renowned countryside.

...Just like that river twisting through a dusty land...

She couldn't exactly say why, but seeing all the activity below made Noelle happy. She took a long, deep breath of the clear ocean air, and gave the lotion bottle one last squirt before rubbing it thoroughly across Tucker's back. A moment later it was done, and he raced away to grab his things and join his sister at the door. Noelle reached down to grab her beach bag and hoist it onto her shoulder, ready to travel. With one last look at the soon-to-be foam pit, she turned to follow her family out of their room. The last time she'd seen one of those, she'd kept out of it, thinking it'd be a mucky mess. This time, she wouldn't miss her opportunity.

A few minutes later the kids charged out onto the beach, making a beeline for the Floating City. Noelle watched them leap into the surf with a smile on her face before heading to the umbrella where Heath had staked his family's claim on the way back from breakfast. On the way she stopped short to avoid a volleyball zipping in front her. A lanky, sandy-haired twenty-year-old barreled past her to grab it, calling, “Sorry, ma'am!” but she only smiled. With a grateful nod for her goodwill the dude ran back over, hollering, “Nice serve, Pete! You tryin' to hit people?”

“Y'ain't even gotten yours over the net!” His friend shot back.

Noelle spread her towel over the beach chair and lay down. She squeezed Heath's shoulder before reaching into her bag to pull out a book. “You should get in there again today,” she told him, indicating the volleyball game.

Snorting, Heath turned a page. “Nah, I'm not in the mood to get covered in sand again.”

“You wouldn't have gotten sandy if you didn't do that crazy dive,” Noelle pointed out.

Heath shrugged as if he'd had no choice. “Couldn't be helped. Had to do it.” Without even looking he could feel Noelle's eyebrow raising in incredulity. Clearly she remembered the ball bouncing off his head and out of bounds as well as he did. Grinning, he changed his tune. “Just not my thing. Besides, it's our last day. Want to take it easy.”

“Dad!”

Lucy ran toward them and stopped in a spray of sand, almost falling over. She pointed toward the Floating City. “Lizzy's dad was pulling the whale around but he had to go get a drink. Could you do it?”

Heath glanced where his daughter pointed. He couldn't miss the trio of expectant kids on a big, inflatable whale, all with pleading looks on their faces. “Well, if you insist.” he agreed, getting up to save the day. Noelle stretched her arms, glanced at a staff member with a toucan snapping a picture with a visitor, and turned to watch the volleyball game. Another long, deep breath. This, she thought, is paradise.

If only she knew how much longer it would last.

[Gentlemanvaultboy]

Penny, not for the first time this morning, looked up in irritation from her book as some kids charged past on their way out to that raft and signed. Between them, the sporty volleyball going on, and the classic rock tunes drifting over the dunes she could barely appreciate the calm quiet she'd come out here to get. "Geeze, it's your vacation." she muttered to no one in particular, placing a bookmark in the small tome of old fairy stories she'd been reading and snapping it closed. "Can't you guys afford to sleep in a little?"

Of course, Penny had been out here since six so she had no room to talk. She'd risen early on her second day here at the resort after spending most of the previous day relaxing on her balcony, packing her essentials and heading down to the beach to flop down in a chair and enjoy the sounds of the wind and waves as she watched the sun rise over the water. She'd spent over thirty minutes smiling dreamily as she basked in the quiet, the only motion to break the stillness being the movement of the earth itself. Nowhere to go. Nothing to do. Then the shopkeepers arrived and started setting up the market stalls, and the zen place she had been in vanished like a mirage in the bustle of activity.

She got up off the chair, stretching out as her ankle length black skirt ruffled in the soft sea breeze. It wouldn't be long now, she thought, before the beach was unbearably full. She grabbed her long brown coat and threw it over her shoulders like a cape, it being so warm now that the sun was out that she couldn't justify buttoning it up over the sleeveless white blouse she had on. It had gotten her an odd look or two from the volleyball boys as they'd filed in, but what did they know? It had been kind of chilly this morning. Besides, she had sandals on and that was the be all end all definition of beachwear. You never wore sandals if you weren't on the beach. She threw her book in her bag and threw it's strap over her shoulder to make her way off the each.

On her way up the beach she passed a young girl building a sandcastle that waved her small pink shovel as Penny passed by, eliciting a grimace from her and a quick turn of the head to focus somewhere else. Maybe that was really what was bugging her, that she really did have something she needed to do today. Later this afternoon was that sandcastle contest, and her guts twisted themselves into knots with dread over the fun activity that she had signed up for every time she was reminded of it.

She made her way through the mini bazaar that had been set up on the beach looking around for something to distract her when her eyes landed on Diversion, her eyes sliding instantly off the bearded man who manned the stall and onto the stand of soft cover books her had for sale. Interested, she approached and lifted a few titles off to take a closer look before finding one with an appropriately macabre cover and opening it. Beach's like this usually had at least one or two real ghost stories and and whole horde of embellished ones. It was something about the ocean she guessed. There was always a captains wife, or a ghost ship, or buried pirate treasure being guarded by hideous specters, something guest could tell stories about when the beach was dark and spoky. If you were lucky there could even be a local sea monster. "Hey?" she said, closing the book and holding it up. "How much."

[Rockin Strings]

Mark smiled as he rode past the beach on his rollerblades. It looked like fun but he wasn't really in the mood. Plus, he had been challenged to a race and wasn't gonna miss it. He was tempted to just stride to the race but didn't want to waste the charge. Plus, he wanted to save his energy for if he needed it during the race.

Hs slid to a stop at the corner in front of the book store to see his friendly rival. "Nate Brook." he greeted with a grin and a handshake. "Ready to lose this race?"

"Mark O'Dess." Nate laughed. returning the handshake. "Ted told me about your stride. Off-limits in the race. I won't use my epithet either."

Mark laughed. "Sounds like Ted. Can't keep his mouth shut about something awesome. Well, as long as we agree and both stick to the rules, it's fair."

Mark didn't have any problems with Nate. They just never agreed on anything. They got along well enough with Ted as a mutual friend but they always remained in a friendly rivalry that never got better or worse.

Ted arrived while the pair were talking about the only thing they found they could agree on, other than speed, which was how happy they were that school was over. Nate had seen his history teacher at the supermarket when his mom had sent him up to grab a few last-minute ingredients for a stew she had wanted to make a couple of nights prior. They both found it a bit weird.

"Wow, you're talking about something and not arguing." Ted joked.

Both racers rolled their eyes.

Ted chuckled. "Alright, so, the rules are simple. The first one to make three laps around the block wins. The winner gets to choose something from the loser's closet to take or force the loser to wear next Saturday to the mall. Stick to the main roads, no back alleys. Am I missing anything?"

"No epithets." Mark and Nate replied together.

Ted froze for a second as he thought. "Yeah, that makes sense." He pulled out a piece of chalk and drew a starting line and a finish line. "Are you ready?" he asked as he pulled out his drone. "I'll be able to keep an eye on you both to make sure the race is going smoothly. Also, each person you run into or shove out of your way adds a second on your time. It's not just about being the fastest, it's about control with the speed."

Mark and Nate both readied themselves at the starting line. Mark, of course, wore his rollerblades. Nate, on the other hand, had a longboard he had built specifically for higher speeds. Ted stood in front of them both, holding a green handkerchief to use as a flag. A few people were beginning to crowd around the portable TV station Ted had somehow built to watch the race.

With a wave of the handkerchief, Mark and Nate were off. With control over the drone, and a slow-mo camera set up at the finish line, Ted was sure he would find out who was faster. The race had begun.

Both racers were fast in their rights, though each also had their specialties. Mark could take the tighter turns a lot faster than Nate, which is where he normally passed him. Nate, on the other hand, could usually catch up to, and usually pass Mark, on the straights and wider turns.

The first lap was more of a hassle than the other two. Both boys were constantly warning people in front of them to get out of the way. Neither went the first lap with less than 3 people adding seconds to their times. Ted kept track.

The second lap was a lot smoother, though they each still ran into a person. Again, Ted kept track. But this lap also had more place swapping.

The third and final lap had everyone jumping out of their way long before they passed, making a clear path. It was clean, with neither using their epithets. They still fought for first a lot.

As the passed the finish line, they both whooped in joy. Both thought they had won. Ted was glad he had gotten the slow-mo camera.

The audience that had gathered waited with bated breath as Ted reviewed the tape and tallied the total of run-ins. As Ted worked, both racers argued, though not angrily, about who had won. They each had good things to say about the other but had thought they won.

"And the winner is..." Ted began as he stood to walk towards them, "by one less run-in, than his opponent," he looked back and forth between the pair, holding both hands, "Mark O'Dess!" He raised Mark's hand high as the crowd cheered.

Nate nodded and congratulated Mark on his win with a small smile. "I'll just have to win next time."

Then the cops showed up. "Move along, folks," they said as they approached the trio. The male cop looked grumpy as if he didn't want to be there while the female looked like she didn't want to ruin the fun of the kids. "You boys do know this is technically illegal."

All three of them froze. The crowd dispersed. The officers looked up towards the boys.

The female cop jumped in before they could run. "We'll let you off with a warning this time but we do have to put your names in the system. The next officers that catch you might not be so nice."

It only took 10 minutes for the boys to give their names and addresses to the officers and be entered in, which none of them were happy about.

"Next time," the male cop sighed, "I suggest using one of the trails or parks. They're safer for you and for the pedestrians. Plus, it's never a good idea to draw a crowd."

The boys decided to spend the next couple of hours until lunch at Ted's house. Neither Mark or Nate could agree on movies or video games to play. Ted was usually the deciding factor.

[Bluetommy]

And the dancing light atop the rooftops stared down at me, a godly angel watching me as I went about my work, guided by his almighty hand. The shattering of glass beneath my feet, the whisper in the wind driving me onwards. God is with me, and my rivals know it, they fear me. Their fears are their downfall, their fears are my strength.

"Come closer gentlemen," I said, my words twisting through the air on the currents of god's wrath. "Come closer so that I may introduce you to my lord."

God this was schlock, it was the schlockiest schlock that ever schlocked. Aurora pushed her laptop closed and sat up on the chair that she was using, watching the waves roll in on the beach. She was so frustrated and fed up with not being able to write a good scene to save her life. She was tempted to just give up on this specific character, religious fundamentalism in a revenge plot didn't really fit with the rest of the story now that she thought about it.

Eugh but without him she'd need to scrap like a whole chapter's worth of content. Was it worth doing that?

Yes, yes it absolutely was worth doing that.

That's enough stressing for today. She tucked her laptop into a bag and slid off of the chair into her sandals. Time to change back into her clothes. She had wisely chosen out a one-piece bathing suit, keeping her modesty well alive. She looked at the others on the beach, playing beach volleyball, basking in the sun, wasting their time away. She sneered and wrapped herself in her towel. She wasn't about this wasting time stuff. It was write, recover, then write some more for her. She couldn't enjoy her time unless she was being productive.

She started to make her way back to the hotel, giving one last look into the distance and then stopping in her tracks. There was something about the sky, something beautiful about it, something pure. She couldn't forget about this. She pulled a notebook from her pocket and wrote down in as descriptive language she could what the sun looked like, how it reflected off the water below. As soon as she finished, she could close her eyes and see it just the same as if they were open. It was perfect, just perfect. She'd have to use that mental image for her book. Yes, it would be excellent.

[Octo]

Jessica Jameson looked out onto the beach, grinning her DELINQUENT shark teeth in her COOL AS CUCUMBERS sunglasses and COMFY AS CARAMEL track suit, because she is very pale and burns quite easily. I mean, even with the full-body application of SPF 3000 lotion. It was kind of a problem, but people HAD to like the beach for a reason. She'd never been, but it SEEMED like a good place for a birthday party. If that birth was CHAOS. It was time to unleash the beast.

Jessica strolled casually up to a little girl working on a sand castle, knelt down, and appraised it.

"Wow, what a nice sand castle. That must have taken you HOURS."

The little girl nodded.

"Its beauty comes from its impermanence, much like life," the child replied, deep in thought.

"Yeah whatever but like it would be a shame if someone STOMPED ON IT," Jessica bellowed as she kicked at the sand castle, missed, kicked again, missed, and kicked a third time and managed to take the top off.

The child stared for a moment at Jessica, and then down at her sand HOUSE, and after another moment she began crying.

"GAHAHAHA," Jessica laughed her patented evil laugh, "I AM THE WORST, MOST TRAGIC THING THAT WILL HAPPEN ON OR TO THIS BEACH ALL DAY!"

If only her sister could see her now, bullying a helpless little girl on the beach and laughing about it. Perfecta would think she was SO COOL but that's too bad because Jessica didn't wanna hang out with that NERD anyways always being a genius and winning Nobel prizes like a COMPLETE TOOL. She kicked a small quantity of sand onto the little girl for good measure, and for a moment felt the accomplishment of achieving her DASTARDLY DESIGNS wash over her.

Truly this would be the best day ever, and she probably wouldn't cry herself to sleep even a little bit. And certainly wouldn't dwell on the fact that one small act of destruction from her could well have ruined a small child's best day ever.

"...Sheesh it's just a sand castle you can seriously stop crying you baby."

[Lugubrious]

For a moment it seemed like it might take a herculean effort to extract Harry from his conversation with a tourist about a board game called Chance Lords, but barely had the question left Penny's mouth than the bearded shopkeeper rounded on her with a gleam in his eye. “Seven ninety-nine!” He declared after just seeing the book's cover. Evidently he knew his wares well; maybe he kept tabs on all potential customers just so he could answer any inquiries the moment they hit the air. “You know, that's a great choice, miss. Really digs up all the hidden depths of this place. They say every land has its secrets, and there's definitely more to this region than meets the eye! Like the Murkmen, or Captain Volantes and the Forever Seabeast. My favorite's the tale of Moving Pictures, which started about thirty years ago in the heart of Sweet Jazz City. I mean, can you picture it? Living graffiti that follows people around at night! Had me looking over my shoulder for years.”

The man had the gift of gab, and he was quite the giver. No matter who it might be, Harry looked overjoyed to be chatting, even if it ended up being pretty one-sided. “So, can I ring it up for you? If there's anything else I can getcha, just lemme know!” He span back toward the other prospective customer and picked up right where he left off, operating the cash register with one hand should Penny go through with the transaction. Harry spared only a glance to count the amount, which he did in remarkable speed, before proceeding to outline the special abilities of every player character in Chance Lords for its interested buyer.

Nearby, happenstance led to a number of new arrivals to the beach at about the same time, which created something of a foot-traffic jam at the main stairs, owed in part to a short, black-haired teenager standing there and staring out at the sea with a notebook. Most of the vacationers got through it just fine, but one man bumped into Aurora as he was putting on a pair of sunglasses. The impact practically bowled the unguarded girl over, and when she looked at the offender, she found a most imposing figure. Standing at six foot ten and weighing three hundred pounds at least, built like a pro wrestler, with skin the color of mahogany and a face like an Easter Island head, he stared down at Aurora with a look of surprise. A half-dozen worried people looked on. “Oh?” he grunted in a deep bass, pulling the shades off again.

His expression turned into one of nervous panic. “Oh God, I'm so sorry, miss. I just didn't see you there. Are you okay? Here.” He stooped, scooped up her notebook with one massive mitt to hold out for her, and offered his other hand to help her up.

The incident, not too far away from the volleyball setup, had drawn Noelle's attention. From her point of view, though, it looked like a perfectly ordinary accident. Even if it wasn't there were a couple dozen people better poised to do something than she, and it wasn't her business. Still, she hoped the knocked-over girl was okay. Her viewing of the event came to a halt when a ringtone sounded out from her bag. Noelle slipped her phone from it, frowned at the unfamiliar number visible on its face, and put it against her ear. On a true tropical vacation there would be no service, or at least none without paying exorbitant fees, but a place like this still in mainland America offered it for free.

“Hello?” She answered cheerily. “Oh, Mrs. Rutherford. Um...that's right, I'm not at the school, in fact. I'm on vacation...what do you mean, 'why?' Everyone deserves a break now and again, right? ...Now, I'm sure if you check the system, you'll see my time off request was approved weeks ago. No, it's just today. The weekend plus yesterday's PTA conferences plus today is my whole trip.” Her smile grew strained. “Yes, yes. take all the time you need.” A few moments went by, which Noelle passed by looking around the beach. She spotted a teenage girl with blonde twintails repeatedly trying to kick a little kid's sandcastle. Noelle frowned, her eyebrows knitting together. What a cruel thing to do, she thought, and after another second the voice of Mrs. Rutherford buzzed in her ear again. “Ah, I'm glad you found it,” she remarked, trying to sound upbeat. The teenager finally succeeded in kicking over the sandcastle -or rather, a small part of it-, gloated uproariously and proceeded to dust the child with sand, too. “Now, is it really my job to secure a substitute? I...it...it is? I thought...the office handled that stuff? …Last month, hm? Well, I'm sorry....alright, I'll see you then.” Noelle laid the phone down on the beach chair and heaved a heavy sigh. After inhaling, she got to her feet and headed for the scene of destruction. Adults could handle their own affairs, but children Noelle could deal with.

She walked right up to where Jessica towered over the crying kid, put her hands on her hips, and said, “What do you think you're doing, tormenting that poor girl? You should be ashamed of yourself!”

Meanwhile, the kids' club had assembled at the water's edge. The little ones watched with excited eyes as a small wave carried a rising star their way. None other than Lydia Forthing, a new but prominent actress, surfed toward a buoy anchored a short distance offshore. “Hey, kids!” she called, waving, as she came to a stop and knelt on her board. With her famous bright green hair, long enough to reach her lower back, snow-white two-piece, and radiant smile, she commandeered the limelight to seize onlookers' attention. The kids cheered, bouncing up and down. Among them were both Lucy and Tucker, the latter of whom looked happy to see her despite being uncommonly familiar with her thanks to their roles in Shadow Boxer. She shouted across the water, “You ready to show you have what it takes to be a superhero like me? All you have to do is swim out around this buoy and back to prove you have real superhero grit! Now, hold up your floaties!”

The children raised their arms, showing off the brightly-striped flotation devices secured around their upper arms. Lydia grinned at the lifeguard on duty, holding up a thumbs-up. The bored-looking man just gave a brief nod, but it was enough to start the show. Lydia raised her arms. “Okay, get ready...go!”

All at once the kids sprinted into the water, splashing up a storm until the sand sank away beneath their feet and they could start doggy-paddling for the buoy. Kneeling on her board, Lydia encouraged them. “Yeah, that's it! Whoo! You've got this!” Noelle spotted Heath among the parents looking on, so while she wanted to watch her children go, she figured she could leave them to Heath while she sorted out this little miscreant. She resumed her stern gaze on Jessica, wordlessly demanding that she try to explain her indefensible actions.

[Octo]

Ha! The fool! Some lady had come right up to her and started shouting! Dear God the ATTENTION. Jessica could feel it filling her belly like TWO GALLONS OF ICE CREAM. She sneered her EVIL shark sneer and looked up at the nerd.

"What do you want, GLASSES?" Jessica asked, her genius insult undoubtedly hitting the woman like a cartoon anvil, "can't you see I'm doing EVIL here?"

She looked for a moment down at the crying girl, felt a twinge of guilt, and then looked back up at the woman because guilt SUCKED and was for losers. Not Banzai Blasters. Banzai Blasters were the baddest of the bad, did the most awesome crimes, had the most fashionable uniforms, and membership BASICALLY meant she was invincible.

"GAHAHA I guess you don't know who I am. But let's just say I'm SUPER DANGEROUS and BAD. I feel no shame, and there's NOTHING you can do about it you NERD," Jessica smugged, knowing that the adult couldn't so much as touch her. That was the advantage of being bad: everyone had to obey the stupid rules except for you.

[Gentlemanvaultboy]

Penny set the book down and rummaged through her bag, pushing past a canteen, a towel, a woefully underused bottle of sunscreen, and a few old hard bitten paperbacks to try and find where her wallet had settled at. As she did she listened to he bearded man sell this board game to his other prospective customer. Boy, could that guy talk. It was like a lecture on the finer points of leading an army and how best to use your soldiers skills to your advantage. It reminded her of the way her Sensei talked, taking the stress out of conversation by making it so she was really only a bit part in the conversation. It was comforting, she felt like she could get along with this guy. He was just getting to the part about the Diamond Duke of Dorn and his ability to block off four whole spaces with an impassible wall when she finally found her wallet and pulled out two tens from it. "Uhhhhh, can I get a copy of that game to?"

Penny didn't know why she'd bought it, and if she'd known how big it was she probably wouldn't have. She walked away with the book of Otterholt Legends tucked safely in her bag and a long tower like box under her other arm, feeling awfully conspicuous and not a little bit stupid for spending over twenty bucks on something "Fun for up to Twelve Players." This was the travel version too, the home game apparently came with a miniature 3D printer so you could scan any knight cards you drew and get a little miniature to play with. She at least fully understood why she'd wanted the book, especially after he'd mentioned it covered the old living graffiti rumors. She'd been interested in that stuff ever since she'd seen an Insight Unknown episode about a pizza guy that claimed he'd been hunted by a giant centipede which had pulled itself right off a wall. If she had to guess what had drawn her to the game if was the idea of drawing Knights that could reliably do their jobs. Maybe she could convince mom and dad that playing this was also a way to develop her Kingly attributes.

As she turned to head back to the hotel she noticed the steps leading down the beach had been gummed up a little with tourists of all shapes and sizes, looking at something with a sort of nervous herd energy that was infectious even from here. That was probably none of her business. Probably.

She checked anyway, stepping around the side of the group and placing her box on one of the wooden guardrail's designed to discourage people from climbing all over the dunes before hopping up and sitting beside it. She could see the cause of the congestion from here, a dude built like a bear with features chiseled from solid stone was helping up some girl. Not wanting to be thought of as some gawker she cast her eyes down the beach, past the girl getting chewed out by a woman that screamed "teacher" from stance alone and the volleyball bros, all the way down to the children gathered excitedly by the shore. From where she was the people noise on the beach practically blended together into one tone, joining up with the wind and waves to become just another sound.

"Hmmm. This spot's not bad." She said. Then the girl that the teacher was scolding started speaking, the occasional word rising out of the mire to be distinctly human through the power of her voice. "'Cept for her."

[Bluetommy]

As a man crashed into her and knocked her down, Aurora's hair went down over her face, hiding her quickly souring expression. She took her notebook from the man's hand with a violent swipe of her hand, ignoring his offer to help pick her up.

"How do you not know how to look where you're going?" she asked with a steely glare. She opened her notebook, scrawling a quick description of the man, then shifting him five feet into the moving water, watching as a wave crashed into the man with a revenge-fueled grin. "So like, you'd better start learning, or you're going to keep getting wet. Kufufu~," she laughed with a hand on her chin, before wrapping herself back up in her towel and beginning to walk back towards the changing rooms, before looking back at the man she'd moved, and sighed.

With another quick scribble she moved him back to where he was, still wettened by his little dip but now at least on the sand.

"Don't screw up again, dude, I can do worse," she said, exasperatedly. "What were you paying attention to so much that you just crashed into someone anyway?"

[Lugubrious]

Instead of a a girl ready to play the victim, Rosco Lafayette found fire. The girl snatched her notebook, batted away his offered hand, and snapped at him while scribbling in the journal. For a moment Rosco met her with a look of confusion, but just as the word 'accident' came to his lips, he found himself forcefully moved. Suddenly the surf lapped around his calves, and a moment later a -rather small- wave crashed into him. Though even more confused he did not seem bothered, and in fact barely moved or even flinched as the water hit him. Rather, he seemed comfortable, amused, and even relieved. This sort of revenge he could handle, versus the sort a girl screaming accusations and howling for police could bring down upon him. A few onlookers even tittered. The situation was defused.

Obviously, she'd used her epithet to do this to him. No other explanation. The fact that she'd whip it out on a whim like that was equal parts intriguing and worrisome. Rosco turned back to see if the girl had stormed off or needed some sort of additional response to be satisfied. Maybe, he thought, he should have let himself be bowled over, and sealed the deal with a little humiliation. It wasn't like he cared, after all. Unfortunately the girl stuck around, and after a brief pause, shifted him back out of the water. At full height, not stooping down to lend a hand, Rosco towered over her, but clearly the girl didn't lack for spirit. And still with the unfair questions, trying to make the situation into more than what it was. And a threat, too. Did this kid think that her epithet made her invincible? Schools had therapy for that sort of thing. It appeared that it would take a little more to let bygones be bygones.

He held up his hands helplessly, trying to placate her. “Take it easy, little lady. Just an accident. Neither of us were payin' attention. It happens.” Using one hand he took off his shades so that the other could wipe some saltwater off. His eyes were big, a glistening swirl of blue and green, bright as the sea itself. He replaced the shades, put one hand on his waist, and pointed the other at her. “You know, you've got some guts to throw around your epithet like that. Lot of people think it's a private matter, and take usin' it personally. Like a concealed carry, 'cept nobody knows what the gun does.” Rosco wondered about the girl's perspective, and why she acted the way she did. The next man who crossed her might not have her best interests at heart, after all, so if he could leave her with some parting advice he figured it'd be worth a try.

Not too far away, atop the wooden barrier, Penny could get a good look at just about all the beach had to offer, from the fledgling foam pit to the market stalls to the couple of folks floating on their backs a hundred feet or so out from he shore, peacefully soaking up the warm sun in the cool water. The strident voice of Jessica, however, cut into the pleasant scene and grabbed at her attention.

Jessica, wearing a cruelly gleeful smile that showed off sharp teeth, rounded on the teacher lady with remarkable spirit to rebuke her. The woman looked not-at-all affronted by the teenager's choice of insult, and listened with a stony expression until her turn came around to speak. “What you're doing isn't evil,” Noelle told the self-proclaimed evildoer. “It's just sad. You're acting like a middle schooler who's watched too many cartoons. I'm sure security would be glad to escort you off the premises if they learned you were bullying little kids. But I bet your parents wouldn't like that, hm?”

With a knowing smile, Noelle pushed up her glasses. “From the way you talk you sound like you think you're important. You act mean and tough, but what you are is small and soft, clearly well cared-for. Your parents must be big-timers, but I don't see them around. If they were, you could be held accountable. I don't see any friends, either.” Noelle, having been working her way on a progressive line of thought, suddenly shot straight to the conclusion. Her expression took a turn for the sad. “Oh. I see.” She knelt down, wiped the little kid's eyes, and started brushing sand off her. “There you go, sweetie. Let's get you cleaned up. You should go find your mommy and daddy and play near them.”

The child nodded, and after a moment stood up before heading off. Noelle stood up herself, and brushed sand from her legs. A final glance was spared for Jessica, more pitying than anything. “Well, you should stop being a nuisance before security notices. There's plenty to enjoy without bothering anyone.” With that she took her leave, making for the shoreline to join Heath. As she approached she noticed a concerned look haunting him. “What is it?”

“Just...Tucker's not a great swimmer, you know?”

Noelle wrapped an arm around her husband's shoulder. “Relax. He has arm floats on, right? And the lifeguard's watching, too. No reason to worry.” She looked out across the water. The flock of children were nearing the buoy where Lydia clapped and cheered.

[Octo]

Small?

SMALL!?

What did this dumb woman know about her life? Thinking she could fit Jessica into a neat little box within five seconds of meeting her? She didn't know ANYTHING, and she certainly didn't know how COOL Jessica really was.

SMALL!?

The Banzai Blasters knew she was cool. That's how she made CAPTAIN. That and paying them about $100 a month. She didn't know THAT. That woman didn't know how EVIL she really was. No, she didn't know anything. Jessica KNEW she didn't know anything about her.

Because if she did, she wouldn't have concluded things the way she did.

Because how are you supposed to enjoy the beach alone?

It was a mistake from the beginning. She could be anywhere in the world right now. Jessica skips school, she has money. She could be anywhere doing anything. But no matter where it was, she'd be doing it alone. Her 15th birthday was destined to be miserable from the beginning.

Jessica blew her nose on a $100 bill, crumpled it up, and tossed it on the sand.

SMALL!?

Jessica TERRORIZED the remains of the sandcastle like a kaiju. Like a HUGE SCARY MONSTER. She kicked and stomped and, yes, even roared a little because she got a bit too much into it. Looking around for something else to bully, she spotted a girl LOOKING IN HER GENERAL DIRECTION like a NERD. She began stomping up to the girl. Sadly, she had already used "glasses" as an insult today, and needed to come up with something fresh.

"Hey, EYEBROWS," she called out to Penny, "am I putting on a show here? HUUUH? You see something you like? What's your deal? Why are- is that a copy of Chance Lords? You know you can get the computer version for like $5 on Gas and it has online play. What are you doing with your life?"

Questioning other people's life decisions like an authority on their lives always made Jessica feel better about hers for some reason.

[Bluetommy]

As the man spoke, he told Aurora to take it easy (angering), and that neither of them were paying attention, implying they were equally at fault (infuriating). Aurora scowled at him as he continued, deciding that then would be the best choice to be passive-aggressive about how willing she was to use her epithet. This guy, this goddamn guy was hitting all of her buttons right now and he seemed completely clueless about it. Ough the nerve, just because he's so big he thinks he can go around being a dumbass? That wasn't how it worked, especially now that every fifth person had an epithet. She scoffed at him, turning up her chin and crossing her arms.

"Yeah, whatever dude, that's not even my epithet's main ability, it's not like I'm dropping a full list of my epithet's abilities at the feet of everyone who walks by or whatever just to make them feel safer. Hey, I'm legally obligated to inform you I'm an epithet offender. To heck with that. If people get pissy about me using my epithet then I'm allowed to get pissy at them for using their arms," she said with a tug on the towel resting on her shoulders. "Like... what's your epithet anyway. You're inscribed right?" she asked. It was an assumption based on how he talked about epithets. If he had a good one she might as well incorporate it into her book, even if the guy it was attached to was a total nerd.

Aurora also heard the wild yelling grow ever intense down the beach, and she continued to ignore it, it wasn't the important thing right now, she wasn't going to distract from this dialogue to look at some background chatter, that wasn't how the story went.

[Gentlemanvaultboy]

Penny couldn't help but sign, caught between the sharptooth on the beach throwing a temper tantrum and the cyclops on the stairs getting all defensive over her Epithet. Your epithet was like your underwear, of course you don't go whipping it out all willy-nilly for every little thing that made you mad. Then there was this girl on the beach. She couln't hear what that teacher had said, but whatever it was it must have stung. How could anyone get that upset over a few words? Not even the actual kids here were as bad as these two absolute children. Maybe she should just head back to her room if these two were content to keep spoiling the atmosphere around here.

She stood up on the banister, content to take one last look at the ocean before hopping down when Sharptooth got done destroying the little girls castle and turned her attention on Penny.

It wasn't what she'd said about Chance Lords that stopped Penny in her tracks. She already thought it was a pretty stupid buy, this girl wasn't going to change her opinion on that. She didn't even think the girls misconception about what she'd been looking at was worth addressing. This wasn't what she came to this resort for, there were plenty of things she could be doing, she could just walk away and be done with it.

Instead she opened up her bag. "What about eyebrows?" she growled, pulling out her thermos and letting the bag drop to the ground below. "They're not that big. My glasses make them look bigger than they are!" She lied, spinning the cap on the thermos and letting it drop beside the bag. She leaned forward and turned the thermos over, the water pouring out and splattering into a puddle the sand was rapidly eating up. That was all right. She only needed the water to be there for a second. She jumped from the banister, landing on one knee as her hand plunged into the puddle and just kept going, slinking in up to the elbow. The puddle continued to shrink, closing around her arm, but as she rooted around the sand never moved like it would if her hand was just buried in it. Penny knew what it was though. This wasn't a puddle. It was a deep dark lake, and she felt something be thrust into her hand by the denizen of that lake.

She stood, ripping her soaking wet arm from the water and sending droplets fling from the the real ass sword she now gripped the pommel of. It didn't look like a real ass sword. In fact, no real ass sword probably ever looked like with. It had a hilt of gold, beset with jewels of all colors that would probably bounce out the first time it struck armor. The blade gleamed silver in the sunlight, bearing no nicks or scars at all. Certainly no real ass sword ever audibly went Shinnnnnng whenever it moved, and in her hand it seemed to have no real weight to it. It would honestly look more natural on a stage or in some video game, and yet there was so intangible realness to it.

There was a flash of light from it, and the water that remained on it seemed to be pushed from its body onto Penny where it grew into a title wave that washed over her. When it was done her old clothes had washed away, replaced with something unmistakable regal and unbearably ostentatious. Penny was going to hate herself later for how attention grabbing she was now, but that didn't matter. This girl had hurt her feelings, so she'd whipped out her Epithet.

She spun the sword once and slammed it blade first into the earth. There was a pulse of power, a disturbance in the sand, and then with a burst the earth birthed five little creatures. Short, fat little men with beards so big and bushy you could really only make out their beady little black eyes and big round noses through the lot of it. Their skin, what could be seen though the hair, the tunic, the boots, and the little overall trousers they wore, was tanned the deep leathery brown of men that labored outside for their daily bread since they could walk. On top of each was a floppy red hat, and in each of their hands was a simple tool. A pair a shovels, a pair of hoes, and one that just had a wooden bucket. They looked around in confusion for a few moments, until one of them noticed Penny. "Yes, my liege?"

This caught the others attention, as they turned as one and let out a chorus of shouts;

"My King!"
"All Hail The King!"
"More Work?"
"My Lord?"

Penny pulled the sword from the ground and rested it on her shoulder, breathing slightly heavily. Then she extended her sword at Sharptooth, pointing it at her feet. "Rebuild."

The little men didn't take any time to register the command. One of them just went "For The King!" before the lot of them took off and started piling and shaping sand, the one with the bucket even sprinting down to the ocean to get a bucket of water so they could work with mud. In a few moments they had already gotten the basic foundation of a castle back up and were only shaping it faster from there.

While they worked Penny stepped over to sharptooth. Only when she got close did she really notice how much taller than this girl she was and it made her feel childish, but also powerful. "I am doing nothing with my life right now. All I wanted from the beach was quiet and relaxation, but now it seems like I have to build a spite castle for a little kid I don't even know." she said. "What about you Godzuki? What did you want from the beach? If I get it for you will you stop yelling on the beach?"

[Lugubrious]

Pretty much as Rosco expected, his attempts to settle his new acquaintance down resulted in the opposite outcome. The various arguments he'd had over the course of his life, whether with his mother, his sister, or a girlfriend, gave him firsthand experience that telling an angry woman to calm down worked about as well as water on a grease fire. This particular girl launched into a tirade about epithets, letting slip in the process that her powers extended beyond merely shifting position. One thing she said, though, tickled him. “Well, people get upset at misuse of arms all the time,” he pointed out. “It's called assault?”

Of course, she then went and turned things around all him, slapping him in the face with a pretty laughable question. Rosco laughed at it. “Heheh, that's my secret, little missy. Like I said: a private matter,” he said, jokingly. Now that he sensed the situation had deescalated from dangerous, and Aurora's mood from pissed to ornery, he felt pretty good about taking his leave. He grew serious to make an assurance. “I'll be more careful, 'kay?” He gave a polite nod before turning to go. “See ya.”

As he went, headed in the direction of the surf he'd just been deposited in and withdrawn from like an offshore bank account, Rosco couldn't help but glance to the left. It looked like he wasn't the only one making a scene, and the accident paled in comparison to this. Two blonde teenagers up by the dune railing, beyond the spot where the garrulous Texans and friends played volleyball and behind where the rows of beach chairs ran, were engaged in some sort of argument. Rosco shook his head and ignored it, making for the waves. A few onlookers, however, weren't so quick to avert their gaze. They watched with interest and raised eyebrows as the fluffy-haired one with glasses pulled an opulent-ass sword from the mucky sand and abruptly transformed from ordinary to royalty.

One in particular, the young pink-haired girl in green whose own royal abode had been reduced to ruins, stared at Penny with sparkling eyes. She gasped in awe as the teenager summoned forth a handful of adorable gnomes and then commanded them to begin rebuilding the castle. Squealing in delight, little Magnolia (Maggy to her friends, which was everyone except Jessica) raced over and slid to a stop on her knees by the construction sight. She started helping out the workers, who did not mind the extra pair of hands, by pulling up extra sand and packing it tight. Jessica remained nearby, but Maggy didn't seem to notice her getting chewed out by Penny at all. Only when a new castle stood, larger and more magnificent than the last, did Maggy get to her feet, wearing a lot of sand and a wide smile. She ran over to Penny and hugged her leg, saying, “That was so awesome! Thankyouthankyouthankyou! Who are you? You're so cool and pretty!”

Another onlooker approached. A teenager himself, lanky and lean, with short but spiky gray hair, a smattering of dark brown freckles, yellow eyes, and a lopsided grin, he looked like he stepped straight out of a high school detention room in Siberia. Sauntering up with his hands in the pockets of his black cargo shorts, he looked the new sandcastle over before his eyes landed on Penny. “Yeah, pretty...” He flashed Jessica a sly glance before smirking. “Pretty stupid! Who builds a sand castle out of spite? That's, like, a total dork move.”

Despite how he looked, he sounded like a surfer dude, and he rounded on Jessica with a conspiratorial look—the look that close friends might give one another. “C'mon, sis. Let's ditch these lame-o's.” He nodded his head pointedly over his shoulder. A few hundred feet away, one of the resort's security guards, all in white save for his black aviators and thick black beard, was watching. Whether drawn by the whisper of a bully terrorizing sand castles and disrupting the peace, or the flagrant use of an epithet or two, he observed the beachfront in menacing stillness and silence. A number of hotel visitors were also watching, either annoyed, concerned, or both.

The guy took a step in the direction of the southern end of the beach, where waves lapped against a rocky spit that extended a ways into the sea. Signs discouraged climbing on the rocks, but neither the dude nor Jessica were the type to take such warnings seriously. More importantly, there weren't a lot of people there, which would allow Jessica to escape the less-than-desirable attention now fixed on her. Even if she was dying for attention, after all, getting thrown out of the place where she wanted to take a load off would do her no good. All this, the yellow-eyed stranger seemed to understand.

[Kafka Komedy]

It's way too hot. This sucks.

Jude stared up into the sky, hand acting as a visor to shield from the hot sun. Today was the last day of his little obligation-vacation mom had sent him out on. She meant the best obviously, but this really wasn't helping at all... As much as he enjoyed swimming and nice comfy beds and the such, there were just far too many people. Crowds were not his forte, nor was seeing a million people every day, and not having a single one even deign to say more than a word to him unless he was paying them for something. They all had families and things to do, he was sure, but... It just felt bad. For just a second when he arrived Jude shared his mother's hope that maybe he could find a friend here, but it didn't look like that was going to happen. Not unless something miraculous happened today, but nothing interesting ever really happened in Jude's life. Not even particularly bad stuff.

Jude turned his direction from the aggressive sun and lack of protective clouds back down to earth, and more specifically the beach. At 8 A.M. things weren't as bad as they could be yet, crowd wise. Folks were just starting to gather in droves, small gaggles and crowds hitting the sand before noon-ish when all hell broke loose. Because he turned in early yesterday, Jude had woken up at a terrible 5 in the morning, and couldn't get back to sleep, so he resolved to get the day going early. Breakfast already eaten, Jude was going to spend the last of his money (sans some cash for dinner) on some kind of souvenir. He was dressed in his only shorts (his swim trunks) and an Aloha shirt, a green one with yellow flowers sprinkled on. The perfect attire to hit the beach after his purchases. Not that he was going to do that-- there were too many people, and he liked the way the water felt at the pools more, and what if someone stole his souvenir? So he'd need to head back to his room and-- it was a whole thing. No reason to hit the beach.

Jude's eyes refocused back to the world around him, spying a sort of hold up on the stairs down to the beachfront. Some people were arguing, a young woman and a large man, kind of holding everyone up. Jude resolved to just wait for that whole thing to stop since he didn't know who was in the right there, and began looking around, not wanting to stare at anyone in particular. His eyes met with a group of people a little younger than him, and a little kid. Also, one of the women was waving around a broadsword.

What in the hell?!

Jude's eyes whipped around. No one was responding-- not the beach goers, not the security guards-- there was a little girl right beside her! There was too much danger in that situation for him to not intervene, whatever the hell was going on. Jude rushed over to them, bare feet slapping the hot concrete, finger outstretched. He aimed to poke the sword somewhere and make it much heavier, at the expense of its sharpness and hardness. Even if his opening gambit failed however, he'd try and get inbetween the fluffy-haired queen and the regular folk she may have been terrorizing.

"What's going on?" Jude would ask, mostly at the woman waving a sword around but he'd give a glance to the kid and to the other teens.

[Rockin Strings]

It was just after 6:30 am when Mark, Nate, and Ted arrived at Ted's house. With nothing else to do, they tried deciding on a movie. The arguing made them hungry. Mark offered to buy breakfast. It was as he began checking his pockets that he realized a problem.

"Guys, I can't find my wallet," Mark said sheepishly. "It can't be too far."

After another half-hour of searching the house, Mark decided to ride through town to see if he could find it. He searched everywhere he'd been. He found it half-hidden in the gutter in front of the beach. After retrieving his wallet, he noticed something going on.

He heard a girl belittling a child. He looked around to take in the entire scene before using his stride to come up behind the girl. "You know, picking on a smaller person just because you can is being nothing more than a bully. I'm pretty sure the lifeguards have already noticed you and are ready to kick you off the beach. I suggest you leave before you get in trouble." While he didn't like what she was doing, she was still a stranger and he wanted to at least try helping her be a better person. He didn't wait for her to turn around before using his stride again, this time being behind the bullied child.

[Octo]

"Ah... no, your eyebrows are definitely just that big," Jessica caught herself thinking. Really, she was actually a little surprised. The eyebrow thing was what landed? How do you go that long without growing a thicker skin about stuff like that? Jessica was about to dig in deeper and really explore this eyebrow thing, but the girl did a hero landing and pulled a REAL-ASS GODDAMNED SWORD out of the puddle. Her outfit changed too!

It was a good thing Jessica was wearing sunglasses, because her eyes widened in awe. WHAT A COOL EPITHET! It had a sword and an outfit change, it was basically like one of her magical girl shows. It even came with its own minions apparently! Oh, what Jessica wouldn't give for an OSTENTATIOUS, ATTENTION-GRABBING epithet like that!

Instead she had a lame one that let her combine things with other things. It wasn't really flashy at all.

Jessica barely even heard the girl speak she was so busy admiring how cool the sword was. It was shiny and had jewels, none of which spoke to its actual combat ability but who cares? It's a cool sword! Jessica was about to flip out about how AWESOME it was when she managed to catch something the girl was saying.

Godzuki.

GODZUKI!?!?!?!?

It was only then that she noticed how much bigger the other girl was. And that the sword was being pointed in her direction.

One side effect of Jessica's epithet is that she takes on a few vaguely dog-like qualities. Generally it wasn't too noticeable, but she had a certain habit that showed up when she got scared. And that habit triggered.

Jessica whimpered like a stray puppy that had been kicked. Fear overtook her anger, and she began looking around uncertainly. More and more people began showing up, and it was getting too loud for her. Just then, a boy came up to them and began making fun of the sword girl! Thanks to that, and two guys who had just showed up to intervene, Jessica took the chance to scamper away.

"Y-y-yeah! L-let's ditch these LOSERS," Jessica stammered, bolting.

"THANKS JENSEN ACKLES, STAR OF HIT TELEVISION DRAMA SUPERNATURAL!" Jessica called out as she ran towards the rocky area, leaving the sword girl behind to explain why she pulled a weapon out on the beach.

Jessica didn't know who this new boy was, but he seemed like a BAD INFLUENCE, which was the best kind! With someone like that on her side, maybe today wouldn't be completely shot after all. At the very least he seemed to give a crap about her, which was more than she got anywhere else (except the Banzai Blasters).

[Gentlemanvaultboy]

Penny, for her part, hadn't notices the appearance of her sixth worker until she felt something get a death grip on her leg. She looked down and spotted the girl from before, smiling up at her and babbling thanks. Penny, not entirely comfortable with this kind of attention, rested her swords back on her shoulder where the child couldn't touch it and just kind of babbled back. "I...uhh...ghe...yeknew....

"She is the King!" One of her Serfs said helpfully, wandering up.
"King of the beach!" Another added.
"No, I am not-" Penny started, trying to nip what she knew was coming in the bud. She wasn't fast enough.
"All hail the king!" another shouted.
"Do not hail the-"
"ALL HAIL THE KING, ALL HAIL THE KING..."

Great. They were just going to keep doing that until she got rid of them and found another job for them to do. To make an annoying situation actively bad she caught another sound under the chorus of "All HAIL THE KING" that brought her attention back to the bully, who had started whimpering like a kicked dog at some point. "Hey, you don't get to act like the victim here." She said. "All I did was fix something you broke."

The act was pretty convincing though, because it had already attracted a couple of knights in shining sun lotion. One guy who rocked up beside the bully and gave her a conspiratorial look just called Penny a dork, which was fair but screw him anyway. The other guy she couldn't see, but he'd come up behind and had clearly gotten the wrong impression here. He though she was the bully. She started to turn around to correct him but she didn't have to as he suddenly appeared behind the real bully, literally taking her corner. Penny eyed him warily. This guy was an adult, and either had an epithet or was one of those real life speed-runners that had just worked until they were super fast. "Look, you guys have got the wrong idea." She said, holding up a hand. "She's the-"

Penny didn't get to finish that thought on account of the sudden weight she felt laying across her shoulders. Her knees almost immediately buckled, and started shaking like leaves in the breeze as she struggled to remain standing. She could feel the sword, normally light as a feather for her, bearing down on her like an industrial press. If she were in any state of mind to think about it she'd wonder why the edge handing already split her in half. Someone asked her a question, but she couldn't answer. She could already feel herself tilting, falling toward...OH NO THE CHILD!

Penny sudden't pitched herself forward, away from the little girl clinging to her leg, and got to watch the beach rapidly approach as she fell toward it like a toppled pine tree. There was a dust cloud thrown up from the impact, and when it cleared Penny lay there with the sword pressing down on the back of her neck.

The Peasant Serfs stopped their chanting. Their minds were so small and laser focused that they could generally only hold one thought at a time so it took them a moment to register what had happened. One wandered up to her, poking her in the head, then turned solemnly to the others. "The King Is Dead!"

There was a collective gasp. "My Spirit Wanes!" one said. One just started weeping. Another punched the last one in the face because they were in a succession crisis now and that typically meant civil war. None of them seemed to notice the faint moaning that came from Penny, face buried in the sand, until she reached out and grabbed the closest one by its bulbous nose. "The King Lives! HUZZAH!" She dragged the Serf close, then desperately pointed to the sand around her face. "YES MY LIEGE!" He said, and got to digging her out before she suffocated.

[Lugubrious]

All of a sudden the 'scuffle' started drawing eyes like nobody's business. First came a boy with long brown hair, trying to defuse the situation that now looked awfully serious from a first-timer's perspective given the presence of Penny's sword. He sprinted from concrete to sand and interposed himself right into the conflict's middle. Next on the scene, and right on Jude's heels arrived an actual adult, who also ironically sided against the bespectacled girl. As he started chewing her out the first kid did something to her sword that made her topple over beneath its weight, which sent her serfs into a tizzy. Another look around confirmed a third person incoming—the black-bearded security guard from before. With another two people in the mix, and both inscribed, this situation was poised to escalate out of control and it was time to stop it in its tracks.

In such a circumstance, getting the heck out of dodge suddenly struck Jessica as a very good idea. With Penny as the subject of attention and herself the victim of Penny's terrifying brandishing, she hightailed it in the direction of the rocky shore, and her new friend followed behind. They escaped just in time to hear the guard start shouting before they firmly dissociated from the proceedings. “Hey, hey! Stop right there! Cancel your epithets immediately!” He power-walked up to the group, one hand on his holster to get the troublemakers' attention. “If you're a bystander, get lost. Vigilante epithet use is not allowed!You!” He scowled at Penny, his thick eyebrows framing his aviators. “Explain what's going on right now.”

The yellow-eyed boy threw one last look at the commotion before parking himself on the rocky edge of a tide pool. “Yeesh. Some inscribed just can't help but jump in on other people's business, huh. Must think they're some kinda heroes, straight outta the comic books.” He let his feet dangle in the pool, stirring the snow-white silt. A cheeky grin rested on his face. “Not like us.” With a confidential air he lowered his voice to an exaggerated whisper. “You're a Blaster, right? You act just like this guy I know in the city. You his sister or something? I'm Haywood Chalmers, by the way. But you can call me...” He made a roaring face, with his hands like claws on either side of his mouth. “Hellmouth!” After that, he couldn't help but chuckle, though he seemed earnest enough. “I got the name 'cause me an' Oil Slick got caught smoking in a non-smoking area once, and I hid the lit cigarette in my mouth until the teacher went away. Hurt like...well, like hell!” He reached out for an evil handshake. “Who're you?”

A good distance away down by the shore, near where the newest wave of swimmers incoming from the hotels splashed into the water, Noelle turned her attention away from the where security was in the process of restoring peace. Just as she thought, the mean girl continued to rain on others' parades, but the next person she riled up turned out to be an irresponsible inscribed, and from there things got hectic enough that it required an official's attention even after the true instigator slipped away. Noelle shook her head, sighing. Not everything needed to be solved via epithets. Nowadays, with almost twenty percent of the population boasting hidden or not-so-hidden powers, such happenings turned up far too commonly. The teacher looked out over the water, squinting in the sun. “I lost track of Tucker. Where is he?”

“Saw him just a moment ago,” Heath told her, holding a hand over his eyes to keep the rays out. “Just about to pass by Lyd.” When she looked, however, Noelle couldn't see her son's orange-streaked black hair bobbing above the surf. Only other children, and Lydia. For some reason, a pit was forming in Noelle's stomach. She tried to assure herself that it was silly, that this was normal and that she'd see him again in any second. But she couldn't shake the feeling.

The feeling that something was wrong.

[Kafka Komedy]

Any and all positive feelings, no matter how shortlived or apparently deserved, must come to a swift end. After all, it was a nigh impossibility for Jude to do anything right. His slick move of weighing the fluffy-haired girl's blade down seemed to have worked, for about a second. Jude did not notice the small girl clutching at the woman very close to said blade. Frozen, Jude could only watch as Penny narrowly avoided dragging the little girl down into the sand with her. She fell over the railing face-first into the beach proper, propelling dust up which got into Jude's eyes. As he rubbed that all out, he saw the girl lightly groaning into the ground, apparently unable to move.

"Oh, no no no, oh my god I'm so sorry, god I'm such an idiot. Damn moron..." Jude mumbled to himself, hopping over the railing (a bit of a strain for his nonathletic body type) and joining the woman's little serfs in helping her-- though Jude's aid was actually more helpful for once. He dragged the dull, heavy blade off of her neck, careful not to nick her, while finally a security guard responded. Maybe if someone qualified had appeared earlier, he wouldn't have almost hurt a little kid or suffocated a young woman!

"I saw someone waving a sword around so I tried to help. I didn't, really but... Whatever can we just..." Jude groused, finally finagling the blade off of the woman's neck. At that point he returned it to its original state, and laid it gently down on the sand. In between panting breaths Jude noticed something odd, and abandoned the last half-baked sentence for one more concrete. "Hey, there was another two people, a boy and a girl, my age. Where'd they go?"