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Rina walked into the boutique, having decided she wanted to try organizing an event of her own. Something exciting, competitive, and something to make this vacation just a bit more high stakes. Some jet skis, buoys, a judge of some sort? Would Dan do that? She still didn't trust the dolphin, but he'd probably be the most unbiased. How would she even go about organizing everything? Posters? Handouts? Shouting it from the top of her lungs? Hm, maybe she should do something a bit more relaxing to start with. Maybe something like – ah
Frisbee, huh?
Rina reached for the circular item on the boutique shelf. Perhaps this could be a good start. She did need to relax a bit anyways, and maybe this would be a good starting point.
There was another person in the boutique, with much the same goal in mind. Alicia had had some fun with minogolf, and at this point she was browsing to see what other options there were available in this place. Once she knew that, then she could decide if she wanted to make a competition out of it or not.
”Lot of stuff here.” she muttered to herself. Kites, water guns, cricket bats, the variety was quite impressive. Well, it would have been disappointing for a supposed vacation if that had not been the case.
One item did catch her eye, and she reached towards the orange item only to find someone else doing the same.
”Oh, sorry,” she began, only to fall short as she realized just who it was.
”Katarina, nice to see you again. You can have that one.” She conceded swiftly, pulling back her hand so the other girl could have first pick at what the store had when it came to frisbees.
“Eh? Oh, hey it's just you. Alicia.” Rina returned the greeting with a small, almost relieved sounding sigh.
“You're here too. Nice uh, swimsuit.” Jeez, she really was way too on edge being in some place out of her element. The magical girl picked up the Frisbee, quickly glancing over to Alicia. Hm...maybe?
“Uh, so you wanted this too, right?” She asked, just to confirm.
“I was looking for something to maybe help relax a bit, so uh...””Thank you,” Alicia replied to the compliment.
”You look very….I guess ‘beach casual’ would be how I’d describe it”. She wasn’t sure how Katarina had ended up with a jacket when the rest of them were in swimsuits, but it was probably the magic dolphin’s fault.
Her small tangent was interrupted by the question, and she nodded to confirm what was being asked.
”Well, I was just browsing but I wouldn’t mind doing some frisbee with you. Actually, I think I saw a good spot for that nearby.” They were supposed to be hanging out and getting to know people after all.
“Pfft, nah this thing is...well, I guess not too bad.” Rina scoffed.
“At least it's not a bikini. Ugh, I think I might actually might have killed that dolphin if he did.” There were a lot of assumptions there, but with nothing else to blame the situation on, Rina really wasn't fond of that stuffed dolphin.
“But, uh, awesome. Lead the way then.”Needless to say, Alicia wasn’t the fondest fan of Dan either.
”Can’t say I’d blame you for that. Who knows where he came from.” Maybe someone’s patron? It wasn’t the craziest explanation.
She would let Katarina check out the equipment or whatever they needed to do there, before taking the lead as they departed the boutique. They walked past scenic views, beautiful structures, and others who were busy enjoying themselves on this enforced tropical vacation. Not much chatter for now, but it meant that she could better focus and remember where she was going.
They soon arrived at an open stretch of beachside park. There was a fountain, some benches, flowerbeds and a couple statues. The grass shifted to sand at some point, where one could find lawn chairs and the ocean waves. Surveying the site, Alicia nodded before turning to face Katarina.
”Alright, you get the first throw,” she said before backing up a good distance. That should be acceptable for however good her throwing arm was, right?
“Alright.” Rina turned the Frisbee over in her hands. Hm, she had never actually seriously played with a Frisbee before. How did a competition like this work? Was it even a competition? Eh, might as well just take it easy and relax. Yep, relax. 100% relax. Casual conversation? Hm...what to talk about, though?
“Hey, so,” Rina extended her hand behind the opposite shoulder, Frisbee in hand. With one swift, powerful motion, she launched the disk towards Alicia.
“Got any plans for any other stuff? I'm thinking about seeing if I can't do something with those jet skis.” The Frisbee cut through the air, sailing just out of arms reach over Alicia’s head.
Alicia’s eyes widened as the disc was launched her way, and it was just out of arms reach from where she was standing.
”Oh shoot,” she huffed, turning and practically sprinting after it. Fortunately she managed to grab it with a leap before it could hit the ground, but who knew if she would be that lucky next time.
”That’s an arm. Lot easier to throw a frisbee than a sword eh? she asked while closing to a more reasonable distance. Once she had done so she reared back, sending a toss of her own that certainly had a lot of speed behind it.
”Hadn’t decided really,” she said, at last addressing the original question.
”Swimming, some hiking, maybe get some ice cream. Might sit in for one of those stage shows. I hear Aurelio is going to be performing a show.Prepared, Rina could easily catch up with the Frisbee. Speed and agility were her strong points after all, if nothing else. Leaping towards it, the dark skinned magical girl caught it with a single motion, landing back on the ground gracefully.
“Right?” Rina chuckled once she landed.
“Sometimes I have to make them so big it's stupid.” Whatever idiot patron thought making swords into projectiles was a good idea, needed to try it themselves for a week. Turning the Frisbee over, Rina lined up her second throw.
“Stage show?” With another throw, she sent it a bit to Alicia's left this time.
“Not my thing, but if you wanna hit me up for a hike, or any other sport, I'll tag along. Kinda wanna get a pizza too.”More prepared for the throw this time, Alicia was able to nag the frisbee with less distance traveled. That gave her more time to converse with Karatina in the process.
”Well, I don’t really know what that problem is like,” she admitted with a shrug.
”Then again, at least you don’t have to worry about the intricacies of hand to hand combat with a bow.Readying herself for the throw, this time it went significantly higher than the previous. Of course that did mean less distance to some extent, so it would fall short of Katarina. Not her best toss, to put it lightly.
”Yeah, I heard something about a zipline on one of the other islands, so why not kill two birds with one stone and hike there too? That and I want to see how different the other islands are from this one.Seeing the throw being short, Rina ran forward, with another acrobatic leap, she caught it with a single hand. She hit the ground, skillfully spinning the Frisbee on her finger.
“Zipline, huh?” grabbing the disk once more, this time she decided to do something a bit simple this time.
“Sounds fun. Although...uh, how exactly do you plan to hike to the other islands? Did I miss some bridges or something?” Winding up her throw, Rina low balled the disc so it was about chest height, right towards Alicia.
Wincing in slight embarrassment, Alicia shook her head.
”Oh, I wouldn’t be hiking to the island. Just once I’m on it” She hadn’t thought that needed to be explained, but clearly she was wrong.
The frisbee shot towards her like a bullet, and she braced herself before slapping it between her hands with a loud strike.
”So, how have you been doing? I’ve been a bit preoccupied with this whole White Coin business and everything that came from that to really keep tabs on our arrangement. There hasn’t been any trouble has there?” While not having the same sort of flourish as Katarina, she did not hold back as she sent the frisbee on a long arc, one that would end up behind the other magical girl at the end of its looping trajectory.
Well now she felt slightly silly for having to make her clarify. Oh well.
Rina ran backwards as the frisbee sailed past her, nearly tripping over her own feet as she caught it and having to catch herself before throwing it again.
”Ah, yea...It's fine, I guess?” Rina echoed uncertainly.
”Uh, still not really used to working with others, but no one's been giving me a hard time or anything.” She heard about the White Coin, obviously. Her opinion on it was mixed, but she didn't think it was a bad thing in the long run. Wasn't like it could be used against someones will, and if more girls could easily accept a painless method of purification it'd be nice.
“...I usually stick with my whole silent hunter thing, so most girls don't really make too much of a fuss.” Rina chuckled nervously, deciding to give Alicia a bit of a challenge this time, she wound up her pitch, sending the projectile sailing right past the other magical girls head at high speed.
Alicia could feel the wind as the frisbee shot by where her head currently was. If it had hit it probably would have left a good bruise, not that she wanted to imagine what that would be like. Instead she turned and pursued, though she was not fast enough to grab it until it hit the ground.
”First point to you,” she announced.
Readying herself for the next round, she shot her opposite a warm smile.
“But that’s good. Considering the nonsense we have to deal with in Penrose, the help is appreciated.” Preparing, Alicia almost looked like a pitcher as she eyed her target.
”That is, assuming you don’t regret coming to town yet. Then she threw, this one a bit tricky as it ricocheted off of the fountain in an angled descent.
“R-Richochet?!” Rina watched as the frisbee slammed into the fountain, bouncing off at an almost perfect angle so that it didn't lose its momentum. Unable to keep up, Rina could only let it fall to the ground with a mildly surprised huff as it clattered to the ground.
“Point for you.”Well, if someone wanted to get tricky...
“I've lived in Penrose before I was even a magical girl, hah.” She chuckled, stretching her arms. A good stretch always loosened up the muscles.
“Used to be a cop, but well...things happened and now here I am, so I ain't going anywhere even if I'm the last magical girl in Penrose.” Picking up the frisbee, Rina threw the disc in a straight line, making it look like it was going downwards, as though it was going to bounce off the ground – but about an inch from the ground, the frisbee suddenly began climbing high enough to take it over Alicia's head before losing speed and falling.
Alicia gracefully accepted her point, and prepared for the next round. They were evenly matched, and while she wasn’t sure how high they were going she did doubt that the next time would be as simple as that had been. But one could hope.
”I’d like to think the same, but I’ll go wherever Beacon sends me,” she answered as Katarina voiced her desire to remain here until the end. She could understand it, but it wasn’t entirely up to her. That was one of the aspects of being in Beacon.
”Still, it sounds rough. Being on your own with only your wits and skill to keep you in one piece.” While the sudden shot upwards wasn’t expected, she was able to snag it before it could hit the ground. Her retaliation was quick as she spun and sent it flying out roughly at chest height, though the quick turnaround meant that aiming was a bit low on her priorities.
“Ugh, tell me about it.” The Frisbee flew off to the side, making Rina have to dive to catch it. She could understand having orders from higher ups. It was never fun when they conflicted with what you wanted to do, but that's just how it was in an organization.
“One wrong move and I end up with a monster nibbling on my arm for dinner.” Rina aimed the Frisbee at one of the statues this time, ricocheting it off the top of it, causing the disc to bounce off at an odd angle before swiftly falling to the ground.
”Sounds like you’re speaking from experience,” Alicia observed before the frisbee came in. Despite her best efforts it hit the ground, earning another point for Katarina, giving her the lead.
She took a moment to plan out what to do, even as they continued conversing.
”On the plus side, it might be more dangerous but you’ve got less of a target on your back. People probably tend to underestimate solo girls, especially compared to an organization as big as Beacon.” then she struck, replicating the same sort of ‘straight line towards the head’ technique that had been used on her previously. It might not be as effective this time around, but that was fine.
Undeterred by the quick throw, Rina still only barely managed to catch the frisbee as it nearly grazed her head.
“Fair, but on the other hand when we get in trouble, we don't usually have reliable help.” Rina sighed, shaking her head as she turned the frisbee over.
“...though that might have just been a me problem, heh.” She had made a few more reliable sources of help recently. Alicia, Amaryllis and...could she count Mika in that? She felt like Mika may cause more problems than not.
“Here ya go!” Winding up her throw, Rina launched it towards Alicia with a curve ball like trajectory, and just as fast.
The Seraph accepted her failed throw with due grace, taking a moment to stretch her arms and get rid of the building tension there.
”Guess you’re right. Though now I’m just thinking about that whole Lily and Justine thing. That was an eclectic coalition if I’ve ever seen one.” One that had worked out better for some than others, but who would have anticipated so many rallying around to rescue a single individual like that?
Darting out to the side, she caught the throw easily enough. Her next few tosses wouldn’t be anything too tricky, merely returning to some semblance of consistency before they got all creative on each other again.
“I heard about that,” Rina caught the simple throw with ease.
“I feel kinda bad I couldn't help with Justine.” She returned the simple throw, giving Alicia a chance to try and one up her if she wanted too.
Alicia shrugged, snagging the easy throw in turn.
”Don’t feel too bad. It worked out in the end. And you avoided having to deal with stuff like stupid porrtal using magical girls.” That last part was said with a grumble. If Alicia ever found Mariette, she was going to make her pay for all of that.
Shaking her head, she finally got tot that throw as she tossed the frisbee. This one would pull up short though, rising and looping for an abrupt end to its flight.
A little surprised by the Frisbee unexpectedly stopping short, Rina barely had time to catch it at stomach height.
“Heh, sounds like someone's got a grudge.” She chuckled. Portal using magical girls? Wasn't someone she was familiar with. Still...all this talk about work wasn't really helping to take her mind off the fact this was seriously still a weird situation. Frowning lightly, Rina decided to try and make things a little more exciting.
“Hey, not to be a spoilsport, but uh, this the best you got?””Of course not. I’m luring you into a state of overconfidence,” the Seraph responded with a grin. Not that it was an all that effective plan if she was saying what the plan was out loud.
Snagging the frisbee, she prepared her next trick.
”But yeah, I have a grudge. Considering how much she got out of our ‘partnership’, anyone would be annoyed.” When she struck, she tossed a fastball, swinging low and quick. But as it moved it seemed to shimmer in the light, afterimages appearing due to her magic as she used the trick that she had pulled back at the graveyard.
All’s fair in love and war.
“H-hey!” Rina shouted as the Frisbee seemed to shimmer like a mirage, her eyes were good, but not that good! She desperately tried to pick out the real one among the illusions, but alas, it was futile. The frisbee clattered to the ground.
“Son of a-” Rina picked up the disc.
“That was dirty, Alicia.” Rina sighed, rubbing the back of her head. Damn, if that's how this was gonna go, she'd need a trick herself, but what the hell could she do? If she had wind magic this would be an equal match, but all she had was swords and metal. The archer was at a loss for what to do.
Anything she could potentially do would be kind of dangerous.
“Alright, if that's how you wanna play...” Rina tossed the frisbee into the air, before letting it fall and slamming her foot into the side of it. The Disc sailed right past Alicia in slight curving trajectory.
Alicia shrugged as Katarina huffed at her.
”You wanted to see the best I had. You can only blame yourself,” she pointed out in turn. She knew Katarina did things sword themed, so her ability to turn the tables was fairly limited.
An eyebrow rose, the kick not really expected as it was sent flying at her. Well, she was still clever at least, so this wouldn’t be a snap even with her magic. And she wasn’t going to do anything that just handed her a win, like shining a light in Katarina’s eyes. That would sap all the fun out of it.
Swinging to the side, her wings manifested in a blaze of light before hurling her forwards. The additional burst of speed allowed her to snag the frisbee before it could hit the ground, and she landed gracefully in turn.
”So, what do you usually do when you’re not busy stabbing monsters?” Winding up for the next throw, her wings would give it additional lift as they flapped, allowing the disc to rise a bit higher while still maintaining its same relative speed.
Not to be outdone, Rina put her impressive agility and speed to use. Leaping into the air, Rina caught it mid ascent with a twirl. When she was facing Alicia once more, she had already launched the frisbee back towards her, on a rapid upwards trajectory far above the other girls head.
“Hah,” Still got it. She landed lightly on the ground, already preparing to catch the frisbee again. She might not have fancy magic, so she'd just have to make Alicia work for it physically.
“A lot of sports, when I'm not busy. Some exercising. Uh, I spend most of my time just watching the city though.”Going high was all well and good, and in turn Alicia moved along the ground to predict where it would fall and snag it that way. They were really going at it now, as the final point lay in the balance. At least, she was pretty confident that it was the final point.
Listening to Katarina, well, it seemed her life was pretty simplistic. If not boring.
”Ah, okay. Is that just a magical girl thing, or a leftover from your old life as a jaded beat cop struggling against an uncaring system?” She couldn’t help but grin a bit, especially with the theatrics in play. In turn Alicia launched the frisbee, altering the color of the frisbee so it was not as vibrant as it had been before. If she was lucky Katarina would be tripped up by it, though she would be shocked if it actually worked.
“Hah, maybe. You don't get a lot of free time working for any government.” Truthfully, she preferred it that way. If ever a day came when she could just sit in her house, eat cheap junk food and fast food every day without having to save the world, that'd be her idea of a good life, but such a thing would never happen.
It was easy enough to spot the camouflaged frisbee, it'd take more than a bit of a light trick to get past her now that she was expecting it. She caught the frisbee with ease.
“What about you? When beacon's not bossing you around, what do you get up to?”Alicia folded her arms, waiting patiently for the next toss whenever it came.
”School, a couple clubs. Hanging out with the family or my friends, magical or otherwise,” she replied.
”It can get hectic at times, but I still enjoy it. Better than all work and no play anyway.”“Eeeh, right I think you mentioned that at the pizza place.” Might as well see if she could end this.
“So uh, how fast are you at flying?” Rina asked casually, tossing the frisbee high into the air. In the next swift moment, her bow manifested, along with a blunt edged sword. With a swift motion, she launched the sword towards the frisbee, hitting it at just the angle to send the Frisbee speeding off into the distance.
”I like to think I’m pretty fast. Why?” Needless to say, Alicia was not expecting what happened next, and she swiveled in place with a hand covering her eye to cut down on the glare.
Giving a low whistle, she resumed facing Katarina.
”I, uh, think that’s a lost cause. That’s match point, congratulations.” she conceded after a moment. Man, first losing to Sylvia and now to Katarina. She had to find some contest she could win at sooner or later.
“Yes!” Doing a little victory jump complete with a fist pump, Rina did feel a bit bad that she just basically gave her a no win situation, but heck, they both had fun with it.
“Hey,” Rina walked over to Alicia, feeling a lot more relaxed now that she had a moment to take her mind off things. She probably wouldn't let her guard entirely down, but heck, she could try to enjoy this at least.
“Wanna go do somethin' else? Got some surf boards in the boutique and some jetskis if you'd be up for a race or two.”While she was somewhat frustrated, Alicia wasn’t all that bitter about the whole thing. It helped that Katarina was quick to propose another activity, one that was perhaps a bit more fair for the both of them to sate their competitive edge on.
“Sure, that sounds like fun. Maybe we’ll find someone along the way to join in too,” Alicia agreed as she joined Katarina in returning to the boutique. It was going to be fun to see who came out on top this time.
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