012 | The Beach Episode

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Beach party
When: All day June 5
Where: The beach
Summary: A beach party for all of the Far Shore residents

[01-27 Edit: Continue your threads at the overflow post to evade captcha!]



There were certainly a lot of broken hearts and emotional roller coasters recently, so the Heavens have decided it's time to allow their people to let loose and have some fun for a little while. Through some magic - or possibly just a lot of money - they have managed to rent out an entire private beach for the event so that they won't be interrupted by any Near Shore residents. The beach is beautiful and well-maintained, the ocean goes for as far as the eye can see, and rocky outcroppings offer a handy place to dive into the water on a test of courage.

It's a beautiful summer day, perfect for swimming and cracking watermelons and playing some beach volleyball. There's even some soft music permeating the air so that nothing is every silent on this fun-filled day.

New arrivals, after having been met at the Meeting Hall, would have been immediately redirected to this party. After all, they should be enjoying themselves as well.



Swimwear

Anyone who doesn't have swimwear will be provided with swimwear to fit their needs. Unfortunately, the Heavens don't have access to a lot of swimwear, so you'll likely wind up with something ugly, something old, or something just plain weird.

Playful Fish

The sea critters are excited about the party too. They're happy to swim up to anyone in the water and will even come up to the shallows to take a look at the fun happening on the shore. Toe nibbling and brushes of scales are in your future, so you'd better get used to the idea if you plan on being in the water.

Barbecue

Some basics have been provided, but everyone has been asked to bring a little something to the barbecue as well if they can. So you're more than welcome to grab one of the many grills and start frying things up. Heck, there are even fishing poles available if you feel like hauling in a few of those friendly fish to grill. Additionally, summery drinks have been provided, including iced tea, lemonade, water, and horribly fruity cocktails.

After Dark

Just because the sun is down doesn't mean that the party's stopping! The barbecue will continue well into the night, lit now by the stars and a huge, roaring bonfire. The bonfire is maintained by Amaterasu's shinki and climbs higher than any bonfire has the right to. Also, there are floating lights in the water so that people can continue swimming now that it's dark. And if you happen to get too drunk to go home, don't worry. A white-clad shinki will be happy to put you back to bed at the end of the night. Additionally, some sparklers and small bottle rockets have been provided for your entertainment.

In Summary:

• Get some sun
• Go for a swim
• Make sure you're in a swimsuit
• Enjoy the food and activities
• Don't drown
• Have fun~

Comments

fishing; i am forever sorry for him

[shadowsthedawn]

[When searching for a good place to fish, Riu had chosen seclusion as a good first step. Firstly, he's still not familiar with many people at the parry and at this point he's tiring of socialization. And secondly, there's no point in fishing in the same spot everyone else is.

Then he notices someone coming his way, stopping a short distance away and throwing their line in. At first, the only thing he notices clearly is the silver hair, not unlike his own, which isn't so strange. He shrugs, and is about to turn his attention back to his own fish, when he catches a glimpse of dark, tan skin.

And his body goes cold. There's no way he could be here. It's just his imagination. Just someone with a similar hair and skin color. That doesn't mean it's him.

But what if...

The thought alone is enough to have him on his feet, fishing pole discarded on the ground, as he approaches quickly, not giving the other any warning.]

[fixed_destiny]

[Fishing is a simple thing! Throw line, sit back, drink your drink and zone out for possibly hours. That was better than dealing with the noise and chaos of other people for the entire afternoon, he could only handle so much socializing before it was time to go recharge somewhere less populated and do something that didn't involve humanity.

Riku is noticed, in the distracted there's-someone-in-my-general-area-this-is-MY-fish-spot-damn-it sort of way, but the vast bulk of Xehanort's attention is on the fact that his bobber has been grabbed and is going in happy circles.

Without a fish attached to the hook.

The younger silver haired man is only given a quick glance before he returns to the fish, giving the bobber a pull, only to watch the fish jump out after it and dangle there, thrashing, from the bobber. The hook below, sharp and baited, completely ignored.

Things surely can't get worse than this.]

[shadowsthedawn]

[Oh, but they do.

Because the moment Xehanort glances at Riku, he knows immediately that his worst fear has come to pass. The face, so much like Terra's, but changed with the features so identical to Xehanort's Heartless. A face that the teen has worn himself more times than he likes to admit.

By the time he reaches the man's side, his Keyblade is out and swinging in an arch, only to stop right next to Xehanort's throat.]

Xehanort. [His voice is bitter and angry.]

[fixed_destiny]

[Not ... quite the same. But close enough. It's easy to miss or disregard the wrong eye color, the years' difference in age. More than one heart.

The fact that he's not cackling about darkness and driving the world to oblivion.

The little things, really.

But Xehanort's not in his fighting prime. Things get neglected when one's mentor prefers mental pursuits over the physical, and he'd happily followed in those footsteps save rare efforts in at least keeping in shape and not letting himself go the way of overfed roundness. That's not quite enough to get out of the way of a weapon swung in unexpected rage.

People have been nothing but friendly so far. It was inevitable someone wouldn't be. It's not really easy to tell how utterly alarming this is, he's very good at controlling his emotions and his voice, as he raises one hand to slowly push the blade aside.

A fishing pole wasn't much for defensive weaponry.]

Do you greet everyone this way?

[He sounds far calmer than he is. That's certainly not the voice Riku's used to. A bit closer to Xemnas than Xehanort's heartless, but still distinctly neither. .. Or Terra's, for that matter.]

[shadowsthedawn]

[To be fair, Riku isn't in the right mind to do a full analysis of all the differences. He sees enough familiarity between this man and his tormentor to cause concern and he acts on it.

But something seems off as soon as the man reacts. But not in a way that Riku had anticipated at all. He blinks in confusion, caught off guard enough to allow Xehanort to push the blade away from his throat.

The voice is another surprise. There's no way he could mistake the voice of Xehanort's Heartless, he hears it everywhere he goes. It lurks in the back of his mind at all times. But this man's voice is different.

Something isn't right. Slowly, Riku pulls away from the man.]

Only megalomaniacs who try to destroy the world.

[fixed_destiny]

I think you have me mistaken for someone else.

[His tone shifts a little, a touch cautious but more the sort one might use to try to soothe an angry dog. He has a damn fishing pole as a weapon and this person has a sword - and he wasn't sure he'd be able to even stand before being struck.]

I'm not interested in destroying the world, I live in it.

[That's just common sense. Why ruin something he relies on for survival? It was a good reason to NOT ruin everything as far as he was concerned, but a little tampering surely wasn't a problem.

Just a little. No destroying.]

Nor ... do I think I qualify as a megalomaniac. I'm not sure anyone I know does.

[Backing off a little is good, but really Xehanort would definitely like a whole lot more space than that. With exaggerated slowness he puts his fishing pole aside and raises his hands, palms-out. Even kids could be very dangerous when armed, and kids were just reckless enough to not think before reacting. Why hadn't he listened to Dilan's insistence he keep up on his martial skills??]

I don't suppose I can convince you to put that away?

[shadowsthedawn]

[Mistaken for someone else. Impossible. But the more he looks at the man, the more differences that rise up and the more he questions himself.

The man could be lying of course, pretending that he doesn't recognize Riku. But the teen had been watching his reaction closely and it hadn't seemed false.

So...what now?

Uncertain, he vanishes his Keyblade when asked. He's still wary, but he doesn't want to risk doing something he'll regret if this man turns out to not be lying.]

What's your name?

[fixed_destiny]

Thank you.

[There is a subtle easing of tension in Xehanort's frame as that strange weapon disappears. Not all of it, after all if Riku could make it vanish that easily he could likely recall it just as easily.

Danger wasn't over yet.]

I am Anubis. Station and name, if I understand how things work here.

[How was he supposed to introduce himself in this world? By his new name? By his previous?

... His new role might make more sense to someone who's possibly been here longer.]

If it's all the same, I'd rather not make enemies so soon after getting here. If you have troubles with my predecessor, I'd be willing to try to work things out in a fashion less likely to get me skewered.

[shadowsthedawn]

[He opens his mouth, ready to tell the man that that isn't the name he was asking for, but he hastily shuts it. Something is wrong with this situation, but he doesn't understand how yet. It's best if he keeps his distance for now and watches from a far.

If this man is who he thinks, he'll slip up eventually. And then Riku will strike.]

No, that's not it. I just...mistook you for someone else.

...Sorry. [The words feel like gravel on his tongue, but on the off chance he had just attacked an innocent man...well, he doesn't want to carry the burden of not apologizing at least.]

[fixed_destiny]

[No, that was certainly his name. But he hadn't done anything as far as he knew to warrant such a response. Or anything even remotely close to it, for that matter.

Maybe handing out his new name was a better idea after all, for every single person he met.]

...If there really is someone who qualifies as a megalomaniac who wants to destroy the world, you might want to consider alerting authorities instead of trying to handle it yourself, and providing as much detail as you can.

[Because disappearing sword or not, this kid is not qualified by virtue of being maybe seventeen at the oldest.]

I'm sure there's a lot of well trained professional people who would be interested in preventing the destruction of something they're all living on.

[Including himself, thank you. No blowing up the world while he's on it.]