#not that we guided hien as much as took over for him but i think about how he held fast to the monkey king as a kid

[myrfing]

i love so bad when someone falters and just loses the steam to go on and someone else comes and catches them just in time and guides them through the motions hand in hand again it is very sauced

[starswornoaths]

Starspun Kaleidoscope

This is a commission for the lovely @windup-dragoon of her cutie patootie goobers, Kirishimi and Hien! Under the cut bc it is NSFW in the second half. Thank you so much for your patronage! \o/

Commission info!

To plan a surprise for one such as the Warrior of Light was, to many people and for many, many reasons, folly. Even if one could plan around Kirishimi’s duties as a Scion and Dragoon both, the unforeseeable, looming cataclysms that seemed to dog her at every turn were sure to thwart any attempt to steal her away for a moment not already allocated to her duty.

Brimming with obstinate optimism as he was, Hien did it anyway.

The Kami themselves must have intervened to keep the realm stable long enough to plan around an upcoming festival in Kugane— the Enclave was running smoothly, on the Lord’s end of the planning, and the world seemed to pause for the last moon or so, meaning that apart from the clockwork schedule he could more easily plan around, Kirishimi was actually available to be surprised.

And what a festival to surprise her with! An annual solstice celebration, meant to ring in the fishing and farming season, where the boats bring in their fresh catch and those in the fields harvest the season’s crop. A celebration of the bounties that the Kami have blessed them with, with food, fireworks, and offerings of prayer that the newly planted seeds that will be planted on the morrow will bring just as bountiful a crop.

Planning around both their hectic schedules and when the festival was coming up was, at least to Hien’s mind, akin to discovering a new circle of hell, and had he not had the foresight to distract her with wearing his hair down and well groomed out of its usual ponytail, the whole thing might have been spoilt for her before they had even arrived, but when he gallantly helped her down from their boat onto the docks and watched her eyes grow wide in amazement and joy at the sights, sounds, and smells of the festival, it was all worth it a thousand fold to see her so happy.

“What— how in th’ hells did you—?” Kirishimi gawked at him, then out to the bustling streets with energetic vendors and crowded stalls, then back to him.

“How did I plan a day out for us?” He guessed, smiling wide. She nodded. “An excellent question! I’m still half wondering, myself!”

They shared a laugh as he offered her his arm.

“Now then, let us have some fun while I think of a better answer to your question!” He suggested, the arm not being offered sweeping out toward the stalls.

“How gallant of ya,” she beamed up at him as she looped her arm through his. She sniffed the air with a deep breath and sighed blissfully. “I’d love to know what smells so bloody good…”

Following her keen nose, they wound up at a stall selling grilled skewers of various meats and vegetables. The moment the kebabs came into view, they shared a look, wordlessly agreeing on what their lunch was to be.

It was silly, Hien thought, to be so delighted that they had a moment of playful fighting over who would pay for them— and Krishimi cheered victoriously when her gil was used for the meal. Delighted, for how mundane it was. How normal they could be in this moment. Delighted, for it was just her, and just him, and just them eating festival food and pressing close in crowded streets, arms unwound in favor of twined hands as they wove their way through the crowds. 

And it still amazed him, how profound his joy was at just watching her, marveling at how happy and carefree she looked. Merriment sparkled in her eyes of sapphire and ruby, of sea and fire, her whole face alight with a smile so wide her eyes crinkled at the corners. Her happiness bubbled over, too much for her body to contain, and her shoulders shook with laughter as they watched how faire attendants dazzled the crowds with tricks, music, and dancing.

When he tugged her hand to wordlessly ask her to stop, she peered at him curiously as he held up a finger to ask her to wait. He disappeared in a gaggle of people grouped around a stall he spied off to the side selling mochi, and Kirishimi watched from her place off the side of the street. He could feel her ponderous stare on the back of his head as he ordered a batch of freshly prepared mochi. Upon his return with a beautifully piled mound of little mochi bites, delicately wrapped in a large banana leaf, it was his turn to grin triumphantly.

“Repayment for our lunch!” Hien said with a belly deep chuckle at her fondly exasperated smile, handing her one of the small wooden skewers with which she might pick up dumplings of mochi for herself.

“Oh, you would, ya sweet man, you!” Kirishimi flushed, though she took the offered skewer and speared a fresh, soft mound of mochi. When she popped it in her mouth he watched, hopelessly enraptured, as her eyes closed in bliss while she chewed around her bright grin.

“I gather it’s to your liking?” He asked, grinning like the cat that got the cream.

Still chewing, she gave an enthusiastic hum when she nodded her head. 

“Delicious!” With a flourish, she artfully speared another little mount of mochi on her skewer and held it up to his lips in offering. 

Though her smile was warm as the sun, there was a mischievous twinkle in her eye. He recognized that look of hers— she wanted to get a rise out of him. Well! He thought with a grin. Two can play at that game.

Wordlessly accepting the mochi and challenge both, Hien’s fingertips were a whisper on her skin when he guided her hand closer by the wrist, and peered sidelong at her through his lashes as he pulled the mochi off her skewer. At the sight of Kirishimi bringing her bottom lip between her teeth to bite down on it, his grin only grew more lascivious. Just before he let her hand go, he bent low enough to press a kiss to the inside of her wrists before standing upright faster than she could properly react.

“Delicious.” Hien echoed in agreement once he’d chewed the mochi, even as he made no effort to hide the fact that he was not talking about the sweetmeat at all.

Kirishimi flushed prettily— though when someone in the crowd accidentally bumped into her from behind, it startled them both out of their little world. 

“Crowds are gettin’ worse.” Kirishimi lamented.

“Unfortunate, but I am confident we can manage!” Hien insisted. He handed her the leaf filled with mochi and wound his arm around her waist. “Hang on to our treat— I’ve got you.” 

So they maneuvered with care through the crowds, steadily growing denser than when they had first arrived. Kirishimi readily huddled closer to him, and he was all too happy to curl closer to her. It was so easy for them to make such cramped streets something more intimate, feeding one another bits of mochi and sneaking affection in between.

Hien steered them as gently as he could for how packed the intimately crowded the market streets had become— he hoped that the bridge would be more open, that they might get a good spot in time for the fireworks. His hopes lifted momentarily when the street opened and the crowds thinned again, only for them to be dashed at a turn of his head: the bridge he’d hoped to have her watch the fireworks from was even more crowded than the street. Enough that he faintly wondered if the weight capacity was a danger to the crowd atop it.

“Hmm...this won’t do.” He muttered.

“What, the bridge?” Kirishimi asked once she’d followed his gaze and saw the veritable barricade of people. “Why’re you aimin’ for the bridge?”

“I had hoped to get a good vantage point.” Hien lamented. “I had wanted to surprise you with the view, but it would seem I was not the only one with the idea.” His shoulders slumped. “I hadn’t expected this. I’m sorry, I’d hoped we might see the fireworks from the bridge.”

It stung his pride to admit to his secret plans to her, though he wanted her to at least know he’d intended for this to go better. Rather than the disappointment he expected, he watched her blinked owlishly up at him.

“Oh hells, was that all?” She laughed brightly and seized his hand. “C’mon, I know a spot with a great view!”

For some reason, the thought that she was so familiar with the city had not even occurred to him to draw reference from as inspiration for a back-up plan. Where he had been disappointed at the thought that his best laid plans were coming apart, he could only laugh alongside her as she guided him down the steps to the pier. Somehow, she always made it better.

When they descended the steps into the alleyway beneath the bridge, he was at first skeptical that such a closed off space would have a noteworthy view, but as she led him down the alley and around the corner, he marveled at how the pier opened up to a wide, sparsely populated shipping dock. The water and sky both were so blue in the rapidly approaching twilight that he almost couldn’t tell where they met on the horizon. 

She ushered him to a bench not far from the alley they walked down to get here, and happily pressed herself flush against his side. He readily moved his arm around her to tug her that scant ilm closer and snuck a kiss to her hair as she resumed skewering one of the last mochi.

They had scarcely finished cuddling close before the first firework went off. Even as far away from the crowds as they were, that low din of their shared voices hushed in an instant, everyone peering up at the sky.

Well. Everyone save for Hien.

How could he look anywhere but his beloved, her moonlight silver hair aglow in the ephemeral, colored burst of each firework, eyes brighter than any star he had ever seen. How could he stare at anything with the same awe that her breathtaking smile inspired in him? Impossible. No firework could compare to her radiance.

“See? What’d I tell ya?” Kirishimi asked brightly after a dozen or so fireworks had gone off, looking up at him.

“Quite the sight,” Hien replied quietly, beaming at her through his lashes.

He made no effort to pretend he was looking anywhere but at her, and he delighted in the flush that bloomed on her face.

“Not as nice as the one I’m seein’.” She said quietly. 

“No?” Hien asked as if in genuine interest, hand coming up to smooth his thumb across her bottom lip. 

“Nope. Can’t be. Yer too handsome.” She insisted, though the way she was looking at him was far less innocent than her words.

He opened his mouth to retort, but then she tucked her head an extra ilm down to press a kiss to his thumb— and then nibbled it, very, very gently. His mouth ran dry at the contact, and he shuddered bodily; it had been some time since they had been able to indulge in one another— too long. He felt every second he’d gone without her touch keenly, watching her fan her lashes at him so.

“I am...suddenly reminded that I reserved a room at the Inn.” He rasped against the way his tongue swelled, at the way his heart thudded against his ribs. “And given the fireworks are planned for the whole night, I am fairly certain that the view from there would be spectacular.”

“Oh?” She mused, half leaning into his lap, her fingers delicately tracing his exposed collarbone. “Y’didn’t tell me. Sounds lovely.”

The summer heat couldn’t account for the way he felt set ablaze by her touch— and he couldn’t pretend it was anything but arousal and carnal need that made his pulse race and his breathing grow shuddered.

“Shall we?” He offered with the last of his coherence, and held out his hand.

She readily took it, and he pulled her gently from the bench to head back down the alley they had come from. With every step, he had to remind himself to have restraint— the Inn was just across the bridge, it was scarcely more than a jaunt to the aetheryte shard to avoid the crowd—

“This means a lot, Hien.” Kirishimi spoke up suddenly. “All of this, not just. Well. Y’know.”

He stopped walking and turned to look at her in that moment. Though they stood in the shadow of the bridge, she was bright as a star, looking up at him with such earnest ardor that for a moment, he forgot how to breathe. 

“You must know I’m only sorry I can’t do it more.” Hien managed to rasp.

“I know. We both have so little time— but I need you ta know how much it means to me that you did all this. I...I like being able to see what life will be like with you—”

Before he knew what he was doing, he’d hoisted her up on a stack of crates behind her, his hands gripping her thighs around his waist tightly. He slanted his mouth against hers in eagerness, before he had even thought to do so. Loving her was such a deeply rooted instinct, he could do little but act on it. 

She reciprocated instantly and eagerly, hands grabbing at his clothes, clutching him closer to her, close enough that he could feel her heartbeat pounding against her sternum. Letting go of her thighs to pull her impossibly closer earned him the sweetest moan against his lips he’d ever heard from her. Fire ignited in the pit of his belly, and the flames came alive when he felt her heat throbbing against his rapidly hardening erection, even through their clothes.

“I’m afraid the Inn might be too far away.” He panted between those deep kisses that sent him reeling. “Should you be of like mind...I fear I can’t hold back.”

“Th-this is, ah—” His Kirishimi gasped so deliciously against him as she pulled him in for more kisses between words, as if she couldn’t refrain from it either. As if she couldn’t refrain from him either. The thought drove him wild with want, and his hips stuttered against hers before he could even think to restrain them. “This is a bit public, yeah? We, a-ahh, might get caught.”

“As Yugiri is wont to remind me, I am no shinobi,” Hien mused as though he couldn’t feel the way her thigh nudged at his clothed erection. When he began to mouth at her ear, his beard scratching against her cheek, he found his voice again, rougher for his dwindling restraint. “But I can be discreet.”

“Well, then.” Kirishimi hummed, tapering off in a moan at the way he growled against her throat at her hands tangling in his hair. He could feel her smirk against his ear when she bent her head and answered, “Prove it.”

Ah, a challenge! He did so love to rise to the occasion— all the more where she was concerned. His hands cupped at her backside and slid her forward in time with him pressing flush against the crates she was perched on. It was only a scant few ilms difference, if that, but such distance needed to be unmade entirely: he could go no longer without her.

Hien’s agony was one further exacerbated by his blind palming to undo his hakama, and he smothered his hissing against Kirishimi’s lips to make good on his word to be quiet. Fortunate for him that he had; he muffled a groan into her mouth when she batted his hands away and shifted to untie the keeping his pants held up. Leaving her to take matters into her own hands, as it were, he occupied himself with slipping his hands beneath the soft layers of her yukata. He’d been glad to gift it to her before they arrived today, though he hadn’t necessarily thought of this particular benefit.

When his hand found her under the yukata, Hien couldn’t help but groan into her starspun locks when he realized she wore no undergarments and was already all pulsing, scorching heat. Even before he made a move to slip his fingers inside her, she was rocking her hips to try and coax him into filling her. The hand not waiting in anticipation to make her sigh let go of her to brace more fully against the crate she was sat on— his need for her was dizzying, he was so hard it vaguely hurt, and it was all he could do to blindly rut against her thighs to attempt to curb his own enthusiasm.

A poor attempt, admittedly, but it certainly didn’t stop him from trying.

Kirishimi managed to free him from his hakama fairly quickly, for a blessing, and he practically felt his cock swing down, free of its confines, heavy and aching, and he sucked in a breath through his teeth at the breeze brushing it. 

Hien sank his teeth into Kirishimi’s neck to muffle the guttural groan that escaped him when he hilted himself in one smooth push of his hips. The wet gasp he tore from her throat stuttered out in staccato bursts, her hands flying to grasp at his shoulder, to bury her fingers in his hair. Her chest heaved in time with the flutter of her around him, and he couldn’t stop his hips from stuttering in shallow thrusts in search of more despite their hips already pressed flush. 

“We will have to be quick,” he managed through laving his tongue over the marks he had bitten into her skin. 

“Yesss,” Kirishimi hissed into the fabric of his haori.

When he slid almost entirely out of her and snapped his hips back against hers with enough force to nudge her backwards on the crate, he nearly couldn’t swallow her cry of rapture, and only just managed to crush their mouths together in an inelegant kiss.

“Discretion, koishī,” Hien reminded her in a dark snarl against her ear, and repeated to motion.

He had to bite the inside of his cheek to follow his own advice: she felt so good, clenching around him as he moved, felt so good to touch her silken hair and her smooth skin and pull her closer, closer, it was never close enough—

“Please,” Kirishimi panted in his ear, and what control he had snapped at such beautiful, breathy begging.

Wrapping his arms those few ilms tighter around her, pressing that nonexistent extra ilm closer, he acquiesced to her pleas. There would be time for the slower, more intimate lovemaking they so adored to indulge in later; now, there was only the carnal need to quench the fires that wrought destruction to their senses and sensibilities.

Hien set a brutal pace, bruising their hips with every collision but he couldn’t bring himself to mind too much— in particular, for how tightly Kirishimi’s hands clenched in his hair, at his haori, how she clenched around him, all tight heat and agonizing bliss. It was almost too much, even when he began, but he refused to be the first to fall apart— it would not do to leave his beloved unsatisfied, or even to risk it. 

Kirishimi rose to the occasion, as she always did, her heels digging into the small of his back, slotted perfectly into his Venusian dimples, and she rocked into him at every thrust, rolled her hips to the tide of his tempo, and it was all he could do to bury his hand in her hair, to press his palm against her back and pull her in closer, to sink into her until he couldn’t tell where he ended and she began.

“Discretion,” she teased in a wheezing pant when he growled at that telltale pull in his gut that told him he was beginning to teeter off the edge. 

He gnashed his teeth in a feral smirk before quieting them both in a crushing kiss. It would not do to let himself fall apart now, certainly not when she was coherent enough to tease him for his enthusiasm. With a dark chuckle that rumbled in the deepest part of his chest, he carefully disentangled her hair from his fingers, and let his hand wander down, down, down— 

He chased her mouth when she broke their kiss in a startled gasp at the touch of his thumb against her swollen clit. The hand in his hair flexed at the swirl of his thumb around the oversensitive bud, and she whimpered against his lips in time with her shallow thrusting into his hand. 

Her enthusiasm, her mounting pleasure, was as a double edged sword: while she spiraled faster, closer to release, she was bringing him along with her, and it was, as always, a battle of wills between the two of them. Gods, but her little wanton gasps, the soft whining, her hands all over him, all orchestrated such sweet rapture for him that he could do little but cling to what fraying edges of sanity he had, even as he wanted to hurl himself into the abyss beside her.

“Close,” Kirishimi panted into his lips, and he groaned, low and guttural and primal, when her legs squeezed to bring him in deeper. “Close, close, Hien—”

Kami preserve, but so was he. His thrusts had lost all technique, all control, and he was pounding so hard into her he could hear the crate beneath her creak faintly every time their hips met but he couldn’t even bring himself to care. He broke their kiss to lean back enough to watch her fall apart, to watch the moment that his attentions pushed her over the edge.

Hien was not waiting for long. With a particularly dextrous stroke of his thumb and a well angled thrust of his hips, her mouth fell open in a choked cry of rapture. She managed to quiet herself even before the noise had fully left her throat, though she flung herself against him to muffle the rest of those beautiful noises she couldn’t quell fast enough. She squeezed so tightly around his cock, pulsed as rapid as a hare’s heartbeat, that he couldn’t quite silence himself in time before he groaned, long and loud, into her hair as the coil in his gut snapped. Instinct drove them both to cling together as they rode out the waves of their orgasm, his thrusts inarticulate, sloppy, desperate things as she shook around him. He emptied all of himself into her, and even as he finally felt the last of it fill her he remained sheathed, pressed close, basking in the afterglow.

Not for too long, sadly; they were still out in public, and poor Kirishimi was on a kami forsaken pile of crates, for heaven’s sakes. When she trembled a little less, he slid himself out of her with an agonized groan, over sensitive as he was from the stimulation. She whimpered at the veritable deluge of cum that followed after him, though he tried to be courteous and offer her a kerchief to at least attempt to clean up. 

Once they were disentangled entirely, he righted his clothes and hair as best as he could, and helped her down from the crates to do the same. Still giddy, still riding the hights of their high, they couldn’t help but stand on wobbly legs, leaning into one another, noses nuzzling affectionately and breathy laughter filling the space between them. 

“So much fer discretion, ay?” Kirishimi teased between giggles. 

“I said I can be discreet— it’s hardly a guarantee.” He admitted with a sheepish chuckle, and tucked the soiled kerchief in his pocket with a grimace. Once he made sure there was no mess left on the crate, he offered, “The fireworks are still going, for a blessing. Shall we retire to the Inn and keep watching?”

At her nod, they set off again. The kami themselves must have intervened to thin the crowds on the bridge enough for them to squeeze through to the other side, and managed to slip away, sequestered in their room with hot sake and dinner in bed, with the window wide open.

“You were right— view’s amazin’ from here,” Kirishimi mused as they watched the fireworks once dinner was cleared away.

After a long moment, he set his sake cup down on the bedside table, and shifted to crawl over her. She watched him with those mismatched eyes of ruby and sapphire, glimmering with every kaleidoscope burst of light from the window. With a bright, enticing, inviting smile, she slid backwards until she could spread out languidly upon the plush bed.

Hien preferred to watch the bursts of color reflect on those silver locks of hers, splayed out on the pillow as they were. After a few moments of appreciative silence, he hummed, pleased. 

“Quite the view.” He agreed, and joined her in soft splendor again.

[ashcaplan]

Ash Vice (Birthday Party Chatzy)

Apologies for any errors in editing. Immo did most of it, and did an amazing job. I just finished it off.

One of the perks of being the 'birthday boy' was knowing that he didn't have to set anything up or clean it after. Ash wasn't enough of a jerk to mess with the whole fashionably late thing. It had never made sense. Less time to socialise with his friends or make new ones that way. He'd arrived with River, right on time, her leading him by the shoulders onto the beach with a blindfold over his eyes so he could get a real look at the decorations and lights only at the perfect moment. He could hear the music, the chattering of voices, the waves lapping the shore. "Enough with the blindfold already. If you walk me into the ocean or make me fall over, I'll be very disappointed," he joked with a laugh in his voice, already reaching up to pull the blindfold away.

River slapped Ash's hand away when he tried to reach up for the blindfold. "Be patient, dude!" she chided playfully. She'd been here helping to set up for most of the day, getting things prepared, and had gone back to pick up Ash once everything was ready. "I'd never walk you into the ocean. I know you'd kill me if I messed up your suit. She guided him to where most of the crowd was waiting on the beach, drinks already in hand and socializing with each other. With a huge smile, she reached up and yanked the blindfold off of Ash's face. "Welcome to your party!"

Milo tugged at the bottom of his tank top. He felt a little silly wearing it, but they were on the beach after all. He glanced up, away from the ocean and grinned when he saw River and Ash coming in together. For the time being, he stayed where he was to give them more space.

Maya arrived a couple of minutes later than she intended to, but she did have a hollow cake to haul in. She parked at the far end of the parking lot, just in case Ash came up for some reason. She wasn't sure it was supposed to be a surprise. Better safe than sorry though. With the cake safe for the moment she made her way down to the beach to join everyone else, stopping first of course for a drink.

Miguel didn't really have a reason for going to the beach, except a friend of his coven - who was just a bit younger than him - had insisted that he needed to go and that no one would mind him at the party. They said that anyone would be happy to have a cute dad type like Miguel at a party. He didn't know about that. But it had been a rough couple of days at the hospital since the new residents had just started, and he could use a way to let off some steam that wasn't drinking alone or jogging alone or baking alone. He could at least drink on the beach surrounded by a bunch of people he didn't know. That was better... obviously.

Grace didn't know who Ash was, but Alia was friends with him, and that meant putting on a pretty white and mint green floral dress, doing her make-up in an 80s style and accompanying her girlfriend to the beach. Anywhere with free alcohol and free blood was good enough for her, and she already recognized a few people she knew. "I'm going to go and mingle. Tell Ash I said hello," she whispered in her girlfriend's ear, kissing her cheek and squeezing her hand before slinking away to get a drink.

Milo noticed someone else who looked a little unsure. "Hey man," he said. "You here for the party?" He assumed as much, but he wanted to make conversation and meet people whenever possible. The guy seemed nice enough, and Milo hated to see anyone stuck without a conversation partner.

Miguel coughed a little of the beer he had grabbed back into the bottle, and some onto the sand. He looked over at the man who had spoken and swallowed hard before clearing his throat. "Excuse me, uh. Hi, yes." He smiled sheepishly and offered a hand to shake. "I'm Miguel. I uh, don't personally know the guest of honor but a friend brought me." He didn't want anyone to think he was just here for the free drinks.

Ciara felt exposed. Not because of the short dark green dress she had picked up specifically to have something to wear for this - most of her summer clothes still being in Reno - not because of the open sky, either, but because of the number of people. After some of the things that had happened recently, she felt just a little more on edge than usual. It felt like half the town was coming, and Ciara couldn't for the life of her work out why her client had wanted to meet here for the exchange. Maybe it was just the most convenient thing for them, but they hadn't even shown yet. The socially late type. Nevertheless, she wasn't going to let it throw her, and had already exchanged warm greetings with a couple people before making it to the bar, ever the social chameleon. She could feel the bottled blood behind the bar, human and animal alike as she ordered a martini, her curiosity peaked.

Ash gasped when River pulled off his blindfold. The white lights lit up the darkening sky and there were pastel and white decorations everywhere, mixed in with neon glow sticks and of course, plenty of food and alcohol. "I love it! You and Bella are the best." He gave River a big hug, already helping himself to some snacks and draping a glowstick necklace around his neck. "Please tell me we also have cuban cigars. Sometimes a guy's just gotta indulge." He said, as if that wasn't literally all he did.

River raised an eyebrow. "Sometimes?" she teased. But they'd prepared for all the indulgences. She gave him a quick (and probably awkward looking) wink, guiding the naga over to the bar. "A hurricane and a cigar for the birthday boy," she said. "And uh...an apple juice." She spotted Maya at the bar, leaning back behind Ash's vision and giving her a thumbs up accompanied by a questioning look, assuming she'd know it was about the cake.

Iann was notoriously bad at social gatherings. He became obnoxious (okay...more obnoxious than usual) and therefore often semi-hostile. He hated small talk (even with friends) and found 'socializing' without any purpose was...well, tedious. But hey - Ash Caplan was a cool kid and he promised Grace he'd be there to talk about...something or the other. Shop-talk. He arrived, stomping through the sand and surprised to see how many people were already there. Ciara looking like she wanted to die, Maya at the bar...most people at the bar. It looked like he made it just in time for the birthday-naga to arrive as well. "Who planned this?" Iann asked, sidling up to the bar, and asking randomly out loud to no one and everyone. "It's elaborate. I'm impressed."

Maya got a Hurricane from the bartender before turning to observe the party. It was more people than she'd expected or felt 100% comfortable with. As Ash and River approached the bar Maya watched them out of the corner of her eye. She wished that she could help the uptick in her heartbeat. When River caught her eye she nodded up towards the parking lot. "No idea," she said to Iann who probably wasn't talking to anyone in particular and had just walked up to the bar, "I'm just here for the free booze."

"Can you imagine if Ash did it for himself?" Iann snickered, then put on a bad Louisiana accent. "All this? Fo' me? Hien!"

Grace spotted Iann, at the bar just like almost everyone else was. It made sense. What was the point of these things if not for the free alcohol? She listened in on his conversation, not exactly snooping, but curious about when exactly to jump in. It was truly no surprise to her that he was already poorly imitating what she could only imagine was the poor boy's accent. "Oh, Iann. Have you ever considered a career in comedy?"

Milo chuckled. "I can imagine you're not the only one." He glanced around and waved at someone else he knew. Ash was a popular guy, but Milo was sure a friend or two were along for the ride. That was the way this kind of thing often went. "Having fun so far?" he asked as he eyed the drinks around them. There was a case of Mike's Hard Lemonade that he found enticing. Reaching over, he grabbed one. "Cheers." He lifted the drink slightly before popping the top off. He wasn't sure how long he was going to be here, but starting small seemed like the best bet.

Miguel "Cheers," Miguel repeated as he held his beer up to the other man's hard lemonade. He took a big gulp and smiled. "Yeah it, it has a good energy, you know? Even if I don't know anyone here." He smiled at the other man. "Speaking of which, what's your name?"

"My bad." Milo stuck out a hand. "I'm Milo. It's nice to meet you." He took a swig of his lemonade after, pleased that his little half-toast was being played along with.

Maya laughed. "I think that would have to mean he had any interest in a career," she said in the spirit of good natured ribbing. She didn't imagine Iann as someone with a 'career' per say. "Anyway I think someone at least had to help," Maya added, "I know River was in charge of cake."

Iann looked at Grace and gave the vampire an appreciative whistle, but then looked behind her almost hopefully. Like he was expecting Alia not far behind, but the naga was chatting with others, for now. "Looking good, Gracie." Iann just got a club soda and lime. Anything harder would lubricate his nerves, but also make him 100x more annoying to everyone. Besides, he wasn't in the mood to drink. Iann took a gulp of his soda, then raised his eyebrows in surprise at Maya. "No shit? I thought you'd jump at the chance to make a birthday confectionery, Maya."

Maya smiled, "Did I say I didn't help?" Of course it was more complicated than that given her recent history with River. But Iann, she assumed, knew that River had gotten her anger issues sorted.

Grace rolled her eyes, ordering a cocktail of vodka and fairy blood to get her more in the mood for tolerating this much company. "It's been exactly one day since you've called me Gracie. And here I thought I might get a reprieve."

Ash spotted Maya and came over to give her a big hug from behind, resting his head in the crook of her neck for a moment before straightening up again. "Aw, I thought you were here for me? Never mind. My booze is your booze. Or more accurately, Bella's booze is your booze."

"No we agreed on no more 'c.b.', if I recall correctly. Besides, I think you could pull off 'Gracie' with style." Iann looked behind him at Maya and Ash, and forgot to say 'Happy Birthday' to the naga. He turned his attention back to Grace, motioning her away from the bar once Grace got her drink. "So what's this plan you have? With Ciara?" Iann turned and glanced at the witch, who still looked like she pleasantly wanted to die. Pleasantly.

Maya stiffened for a moment when someone hugged her from behind. She'd been distracted by Iann and the woman who's name she couldn't remember. At the sound of Ash' voice though she relaxed. Smiling she turned to look at him, "I can be here for both. Especially considering I was promised a housewarming party where I could beat you at poll which has yet to materialize."

Ash lost track of which parties he was supposed to throw. Nowadays he mostly went to other people's, mostly because Soapberry always had something going on, and he was curious by nature. "Oh yeah. I forgot about that. Well, there was no house-warming party, but the pool table is still there any time you wanna visit." He'd finally found the cigars, in a big presentation box near the bar. "Aha!" He grabbed one, breaking off the end of it with his teeth and putting it in his mouth. "Now I feel like I really belong in Miami."

Miguel Miguel chuckled softly. Upon the handshake, Miguel felt the elemental power of an antronach. He smiled not only at his luck of finding one of the more rare species of supernatural, but also at the friendliness of the other man. "Nice to meet you too, Milo."

Grace gave a little huff, and then a chuckle. "Very well. I suppose I can't have everything." Iann would simply be Iann. There would be no changing it. She spotted Ciara nearby, but wasn't sure whether she was supposed to say hello or not. There were lots of people around. She settled for a small wave and a smile.

Iann paused, watching Grace waving to Ciara. He looked at Ciara, then back at Grace. "We...can go say hi?" He didn't wait for an answer, and instead headed towards Ciara. He figured Grace would come along, or not. To Ciara, he said, "Hey girl. Come here often? You look so familiar. What's your sign?"

Ephram considered it part of his 'duty' as Sheriff to attend every event in town that was a free-for-all, so even though he hadn't met this birthday naga before, he cheerfully made his way down to the party, shuffling through the sand in velvet loafers until he found a young man with a cigar in his mouth. Clearly the man of the hour. "Hey there," Ephram greeted Ash, holding out a hand. "Ash, right? I'm Ephram, good to meet you. Happy birthday." He held out a huge sack of brightly coloured candy from one of the magical places in town, some of it sparkling, some of it moving, some of it changing colours. "Din't rightly know what sort you'd like, so I got you a variety." Ephram had not considered that a person turning twenty-four might not want a big bag of candy, because in his mind who didn't want candy.

Maya 's smile didn't quite dim, but some of the light left her eyes. It was more complicated than just her coming over. For the moment she was glad that River hadn't approached them yet. Her feelings there were still...complicated for lack of a better term. Luckily though she was interrupted by the arrival of Ephram. It gave her a chance to take a sip of her drink and collect herself.

Ash lifted his gaze to the man who'd approached him. He cocked his head, looking the stranger up and down. "Oh, anyone as handsome as you needn't make an excuse to say hello to me. Ephram, good old Southern sounding name. Nice to meet you." He shook the stranger's hand, then lit both their cigars with a wide smirk. He really did love meeting new people.

Freddie wasn’t even entirely sure that he wanted to be here at all. He didn’t know Ash Caplan - though Iann and Alia had both mentioned him before, and he knew of the family - and the fact that it was being held on Antoinette’s beach was a turn-off all on its own... but it was a party, and really, that was reason enough to at least put in an appearance. So despite Ollie’s snort of derison and refusal to join him - the little Chin was no fan of beaches that were devoid of cabanas and tropical weather - when Ephram had begun to get dressed to go, Freddie had decided at the last minute to tag along for a bit. After all, the worst case scenario still promised an open bar and at least a few people whose company he enjoyed - so why not? And now, here he was - all alone and back in the Eighties. Having kissed Ephram on the cheek and told him with a grin not to behave himself even a little, Freddie had lost track of his husband already, which meant that, first and foremost, a drink was an absolute necessity. And then, he thought, a bit of company wouldn’t go amiss either...

Milo dipped his head in greeting. "Have you been in the area long?" he asked. "I've been in the state my whole life, but it seems like I still find people who can say the same."

Ephram held Ash's hand in his own for a beat longer once the naga gave him the once-over, a slow smile lifting a corner of his mouth. "Well now," he drawled, "I'm a good ol' Kentucky boy -- I was raised up to have manners and enjoy pretty things."

River When Ash left her side to go talk to Maya, River stayed put, taking her apple juice from the bartender and sipping on it through the elaborate silly straw he'd given her, probably as a joke for not ordering alcohol, but joke was on him, because she loved it. Without Ash to steady her, she felt as if she was drifting while standing still. She was scared to approach Maya. She'd said they were cool, but River still felt like shit. Seeing her in person stirred feelings she wasn't sure how to deal with, so as everyone else mingled, River slipped off to go sit down in one of the sitting areas set up with a small fire, sipping rather obnoxiously through her silly straw.

Miguel shook his head. "I've been bouncing up and down the West coast though for my whole life. Born in LA, lived in Portland, Seattle, and now Soapberry." He finished his beer and then failed a recycling bin shot - the glass bottle made a harmless thwup in the sand - sighed, and got up to put the empty bottle in the bin. "What about you? Just a Soapberry kind of guy or?"

Ciara spotted Grace's wave and had heard Iann mention her name, so with a smile she slipped the older woman she was talking to her number and told her bye for now before walking over to join the pair of them. She hadn't seen Grace since the night of the spell, and had caught sight of Alia briefly early. She'd intended to drop by to say hi but the bar had gotten quite crowded suddenly so hadn't yet. Before she'd reached them they'd reached her. When Iann greeted her, she rolled her eyes and replied "It's a 'no entry' sign," before looking to Grace, giving her a much more genuine smile. "You look lovely, Grace."

Ash was sure it was his lucky night. He had barely been at his own party twenty minutes and a handsome stranger was already, dare he say, flirting with him? "Something we have in common then," he beamed. "I'm from New Orleans myself."

Elena did not know Ash Caplan, but she naturally knew of any event that would happen at or near a beach simply because she spent most of her time there. She had already been there, watching as people arrived slowly, setting things up and chatting with each other. The day grew dim and Elena remained separate from the festivities, sitting alone, half in the water, half on the sand, the bottom of her dress getting drenched. As more and more people arrived, it was harder to remain where she was as she was very curious by nature, so she pulled herself away from her solitude. The soaked bottom of her dress stuck to her sand covered legs awkwardly, so she shuffled toward one of the fire pits to dry it off, and there she noticed a familiar person who was sipping very loudly from their drink. "Hi," she greeted casually, flopping down onto an empty seat beside River, "Have you managed to go for a swim alone yet?" Out-rightly asking a very blunt question but not realizing it may be a sensitive topic.

Grace rolled her eyes, probably not for the first time, and definitely not the last, at Iann, but gave an amicable smile and followed Iann over to Ciara, drink in hand. "I do love a woman who freely offers compliments," she answered, knowing it meant nothing but all too happy to indulge in it anyway. "You always look stunning, of course."

Maya sipped her drink and wondered if she should mention the Ephram was married. Maybe she could ask where his husband was. It wasn't really her place, but she could hear the hopeful note in Ash's voice and thought she ought to do something. Then again Ephram hadn't actually greeted her yet and flirting was just flirting. She took another sip of her drink instead.

Iann stood there, and wondered when was the best time to say 'so what were you two planning together?' to Grace and Ciara. It was at the tip of his tongue, but he figured the casual conversation portion of this had to happen first. He just smiled blandly at them both for now. "That's a good one. No entry...cool, cool cool cool..." He drank some of his soda and then finally burst out, "So Grace mentioned that you two talked about, ah, stuff. And...stuff?"

Ephram had never been one to question immediate sexual attraction, much less when it was a party and the sweet-looking guest of honour was the one sending out the vibes. "New Orleans, huh? My sister's from there. Real passionate folks from them parts." He grinned and added, "--good drinkers, too. You warmed up already, or should we get somethin' else? I bet since this is a Bellamy party she's made you a themed drink." Ephram tapped his chin and surmised, "One with somethin' purple in it, or a bar of gold, or a preserved butterfly, to represent you personally."

River 's eyes widened in shock as someone came to speak to her, and she was even more shocked when she saw who it was. "Elena? Hi!" It had been a while since she'd seen the mermaid. They'd only met once, very breifly, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't taken, and a little intimidated, by her at the time. If she'd asked her question a few weeks earlier, River might have still been sensitive about it, but it was amazing how quickly she'd gotten used to talking about her supernatural self. "Yeah, actually. I got in touch with my inner seal and all that." The thought was a little bittersweet, considering the circumstances of her first transformation and her recent breakup, but she swallowed down the feeling with the taste of apple juice. "How have you been? I've been back like 20 times to that grilled squid place, by the way. Surprised I never saw you there again." She froze for a second. "Not that like, I was looking for you or stalking your or something it was just....good, uh....good squid." Wow. "Do you want a drink or something?" she asked, jamming her thumb over her shoulder toward the bar.

Milo "Hey, I was in Seattle for a bit," Milo said. He smirked slightly, but not with ill intentions, as the bottle fell. It happened to the best, but Milo knew his own aim wasn't as great as he pretended sometimes. "Other than that, yeah, mostly just Soapberry," he added after Miguel returned from tossing the bottle. "It's a good area around here." He motioned out at the ocean. "Not much to see that isn't beautiful to look at."

Ash gave a wave of his hand, continuing to slowly smoke his cigar. That was the nice thing about them as opposed to cigarettes. They lasted longer. "I think Soapberry is something of a home away from home for lots of New Orleans folks. We like those towns that are a little out there, I guess." He ate up the compliments. At least he imagined they were compliments. "As a naga and a southerner, I'd wager I'm a pretty good drinker. Let's have another one. The night's young."

Miguel couldn't help but look over Milo after that comment. He was incredibly attractive. "You're right about that," he said with a smile. "It really is beautiful," he said and turned his head to look out at the ocean, instead of at Milo. The sun was setting and it was lighting up the whole sky with reds, oranges, and yellows.

"Thank you. There's no point being stingy with them, is there," Ciara replied, always aware of how she shifted herself slightly for different people. Iann, on the other hand was incorrigible. "We did," Ciara confirmed, looking to Grace. She didn't divulge her clients' secrets easy, so let Grace set the pace of the conversation, although she'd clearly decided to tell Iann."

Elena smiled at River's flow of words as they seemed to spill out from her in a torrent. "It is good squid. I do there all the time but I guess we just miss each other. Funny how that happens, isn't it?" She casually bypassed answering the 'how have you been?' question because she didn't feel like talking about how sad she'd been lately and all her awful emotions, and she wasn't really one to lie about feeling better than she was, so she just didn't respond to it at all. Instead she stood, waving her dress a few more times in front of the fire to dry it more and said, "Yeah. I would love a drink. I feel like something with an olive in it and a little umbrella might be nice. What are you drinking?"

Ephram couldn't tell where Freddie had got off to, but he hoped if it was anything fun the fairy'd be saving it all up to tell Ephram when they got home. That was their thing, to regale each other with tales of erotic adventures; god knew Ephram was looking forward to telling Freddie all about this. "Sounds good, darlin," Ephram said, one hand settling against the small of Ash's back to corral him to another part of the bar. As they were moving, he caught sight of Maya and said, "Oh, hey Maya! You, uh ... havin' fun?" She sure didn't look like it, but then Ephram didn't really know what Maya looked like happy.

River mirrored Elena's smile naturally, glad that she seemed to be overlooking the awkward word vomit. "Yeah, that is funny." She stood with Elena instinctively, not really sure why she's sprung up so readily. All she wanted to do was sit here and avoid people until it was cake time. "Uh, apple juice," she answered sheepishly. "I'm a bit of a lightweight by nature. It's a selkie thing, apparently."

Freddie noticed quite a few familiar faces in the crowd - though thankfully not the hostess - and wandered up to the bar, asking for whatever the signature cocktail of the evening was. Then, taking it with a smile, he headed into the throng, coming up behind Iann, Grace, and Ciara and murmuring with a cheeky sort of smile, “Alright, so which one of you gorgeous creatures wants to point out the birthday boy to me? I’m not sure I’m technically on the list, and I feel as though I should at least make a bit of an effort to ingratiate myself...”

Ash "Darlin'," Ash repeated, already starting to glow. "I like the sound of that." He finished his first drink, putting the empty glass with the rest of the dishes. Ready for the next round. "I'll tell you what, handsome. This place is pretty busy and sooner or later I'm gonna have to spread my charm to someone else, so take this just in case I lose track of you." He hurriedly scribbled down his number on a napkin and put it in Ephram's front pocket with a wink.

Maya turned at the sound of her name. She smiled, although it didn't reach her eyes. She felt nervous for more than one reason. There were things with River and the large number of people and her own guilt that still tried to eat her alive. "Of course," she replied not wanting to let Ash who stood between her and Ephram know about her anxieties, "Although if you're having a drinking contest you have to let a girl from Massachusetts kick both your Southern asses because we can."

Ruby almost hasn’t come. Too many people she really didn’t want to run into could be there. But in the end she’s decided it was better than sitting at home by herself. So she threw on an outfit and headed over. When she got there, she was glad to see there were a fair amount of people there, most she knew, so she was able to slip in, find a drink and a corner, and make herself as unnoticeable as possible. For the moment. She’s have to go wish Ash a happy birthday eventually. And it would be rude not to at least speak to a few others. But for now she was content with her little spot and her very large, very potent drink.

Iann before Grace had a chance to say anything, Freddie seemed to materialize out of no where and be all charming and light-hearted and Iann couldn't help but grin at the fairy. He was so good at that! How was he so good at that. Iann looked around, then pointed with his pinky finger towards Ash. "Ahhhhhh that guy over there. The one making bedroom eyes at Pettaline."

Grace flashed a sincere smile at Freddie, wrapping an arm around him and leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek, as was their usual greeting at this point. "Hello, love. It's always a pleasure to see you around." If nothing else, Freddie always made the room feel friendlier and more comfortable. Grace took a spot at his side for a moment, looking around for Ash to point him out. "Ah, yes. As Iann said... isn't that your husband he's flirting with?"

Milo finished his drink, and rather than try to complete the shot Miguel hadn't made, he strode over the recycling to throw it away himself. "Have you been in Soapberry long then? I know you said you've been all over, but still. A guy's got curiosity."

Ciara spun at the sound of Freddie's voice - much better than the demon's imitation just a couple days ago - and grinned at him too, giving him a quick hug after Grace. "I have no idea-" but was interupted by Iann, glancing over at where Ephram was. The moment his name was mentioned, Malvoth rumbled a little in her purse, like a mobile vibrating.

Elena mused almost wistfully as she looked into the fire, "I used to be a lightweight." Then with one more wave of her dress by the fire, feeling it was gonna get as dry as possible for now, "I cured it by drinking an awful lot, and I mean, a lot a lot. Probably wasn't the best decision, but..." she shrugged her shoulders, "I mean, nothing bad happened." Then she started heading toward the bar that River had motioned towards.

Ephram hooted at Maya's boast, saying, "Hold up now, girl! You're talkin' to a feller from a moonshine family--" he pointed his thumb at himself, "--and a Big Easy naga--" he wrapped his arm low around Ash's hips, jostling him. "That ain't the easy win you're envisioning." Ephram turned his head, lips brushing Ash's ear as he said lowly, "You spread your charm wherever you need to, honey. But I'm gonna be makin' use of this number later."

Ash leaned into the taller man's touch, the slightly controlling intimacy of it, tingling slightly at the thrill, the words that came with it only serving to make Ash incredibly thankful at the certain differences his body came with over that of a cisgender man. That linen suit wouldn't hide anything. "Sooo, about that other drink?"

Freddie looked over to where Iann was pointing and laughed. “Well, then he’ll be getting quite the birthday gift already,” he grinned, “I won’t intrude.” The fairy turned back to Iann. “What about you though, darling? Having fun?” He gave his friend’s outfit a critical once-over, and tugged at the hoodie the other man was wearing, frowning slightly. “What the bloody hell is this?” he asked.

Maya laughed, "Alright and I come from a land of Irish Catholics and repressing your emotional problems in a snowstorm." Her laughter faded into confusion though as Ephram wrapped Ash close to him. Her throat suddenly dry Maya took a too big swig from her drink. She glanced away, not sure what to make of it.

Miguel shrugged and squirmed just a little. "Only a few months. I've been working over at the hospital." He thought about having another beer, but maybe it was time to branch out a little. He grabbed one of the Mike's and popped the cap. "Are these any good?"

Iann "Oh good, yeah stay here. You don't need to wish anyone any happy anything," Iann said, content that Freddie seemed lackadaisical about wishing Ash happy birthday. He pat at his hoodie and shrugged. "It's a sweater! I was cold. The beach is cold..." He looked to Grace for confirmation but, duh vampire. And Freddie probably had some sort of heat-glamours to keep him cute and warm. So he looked at Ciara in appeal, so she could confirm that humans were indeed physically hampered by temperature. "I think I'm getting a cold, honestly."

Ruby watched the smiling crowd from the corner, her eyes lighting mostly on Grace, Maya, and a dark-haired man she recognized but couldn’t place. A grin tipped her mouth as she watched Ephram flirt with Ash, who looked both petrified and ready to go home with Ephram right that minute. She took another long pull of her drink, idly wondering if anyone would be interested in taking her home later.

Freddie abandoned Iann’s questionable fashion choices for a moment to kiss Grace hello and return Ciara’s hug. “And yes, love, that is my husband,” he smiled at her, “- he looks lovely tonight, don’t you think? But so long as little Ash doesn’t think that’s a gift he gets to keep, he’s welcome to enjoy it.”

River "I don't think that would work for me," River said. She honestly was kind of bummed by that fact. Everybody she knew liked to drink socially. Just one drink turned her into an embarrassment. "It's like a predisposition. But uh, I'm glad nothing bad happened to you." As Elena began to walk away, she stayed standing for a moment, not really sure what to do. Did she follow? Or just sit back down and let Elena do her thing? In the end, she quickly scurried after Elena to catch up with her at the bar, deciding that sticking by someone's side made her feel a little less pathetic than sitting in front of a fire alone.

Freddie abandoned Iann’s questionable fashion choices for a moment to kiss Grace hello and return Ciara’s hug. “And yes, love, that is my husband,” he smiled at the vampire, “- he looks lovely tonight, don’t you think? But so long as little Ash doesn’t think that’s a gift he gets to keep, he’s welcome to enjoy it.”

What Grace would give to be blessed with the kind of comfortable confidence Freddie seemed to have about he and Ephram. Grace knew she had a lot to work on. And she was. Alia was a friendly and loving person. It was one of her strengths. Grace just needed to tell that little insecure voice in her head to shut up sometimes. "Quite the treat indeed. I do need to talk to him at some point. But not tonight. I wouldn't want to interrupt his evening." She gave a soft chuckle, glancing to Iann, unable to offer him any kind of reassurance or indeed disagreement about the temperature. "Well, thank goodness I can't catch it." She didn't mean to be nosy, but it was difficult not to watch Ephram at work now that Freddie was looking. "A lovely man, and very charming. I can't wait to meet him."

Ephram made a grand, sweeping gesture towards one of the little stations set up along the bar dedicated to the specialty drinks, saying, "We better git on with it, you're right. My Baptist blood ain't gonna accept such a challenge from a Papist." He winked at Ash, hand smoothing up the naga's side as he nodded at the bartender and three drinks appeared in front of them. "So you here on your own, Ash?" Ephram asked, picking up his glass. "My husband came with me." He looked around briefly, then smiled at Ash, completely relaxed. "Probably gathering up a crumpet of his own to spend the evening with."

Ash was still quivering inside, and not because of the temperature. It might have been March in Washington, but Bella had done a good job of ensuring the beach was kept heated, though whether that was just by heat lamps or by magic, or both, Ash wasn't sure. All he knew was that this Ephram guy could keep touching him all night if he so pleased. "My room-mate, River. She's around somewhere." He half-heartedly looked around for her. "Husband? Well then... how modern."

Maya couldn't help the sigh that escaped her lips at Ephram's words. She hadn't been able to reconcile the way Ephram and Freddie talked about each other with Ephram's current flirting. She was used to terrible and unreciprocated relationships from watching too many in her childhood. She did have to say though, "I didn't say I was Roman Catholic," it was a particular issue for her, "Just that I know how to drink them under the table."

Freddie pulled a disappointed petulant face at Iann. “It isn’t that flaming cold.” A touch of concern lit his eyes. “And since when are you getting ill? I was with you all day and you never said a word.”

Elena arrived at the bar with a bounce and a wave, ordering herself one of the themed beverages of the night. No doubt the creation of it was entirely Bellamy's doing. Elena had a quick took around, trying to see if she could spot the petite vampire but so far she couldn't. She did however, spot a few more familiar faces down the bar and was waving at Ephram just as she noticed River started approaching. "Look what I got!" She raised her drink, which was pink and topped with a variety of decorative flowers and a tiny umbrella. "It is very pretty but I don't really understand why they always add these things," she took the flowers off, "It's not like I can eat them."

Iann "Ehhhhh it's fine," Iann said, waving away Freddie's concern (although Iann was clearly pleased to get it). "I hope it's a hex and not like an actual cold. I did sort of piss off a coven yesterday, but y'know. It wasn't my fault." He wasn't interested in the conversation about Pettaline going on over him, but he was mildly surprised to learn that Grace hadn't met Mr Yeehaw Sheriff yet. "So you didn't go to him about the cursed painting? Aw Gracie. I'm touched. You have faith in me."

Grace could bloody curse Iann herself for being so loose-lipped in public. But then again, it was only Freddie and Ciara, both of whom knew about some of her exploits and troubles already. She huffed only slightly. "No, not yet. I have some new evidence to show him." Thanks to Ciara. "But I haven't had the opportunity yet. Maybe when he's done feeling up the birthday boy Freddie can convince him to give me a call," she teased.

Ephram made a sound of recognition. "River! I met her." He shook his head slightly. "I hope the matter she was dealin' with got resolved, poor kid." But he didn't intend to get mired in serious work-talk, and ordered a second drink hot on the tail of his first, raising his eyebrows at Maya's sharp comment. "Awright then," Ephram said affably, again wanting to side-step anything too heavy. He looked back at Ash, moving one big hand to the back of the naga's neck before leaning in for a languid kiss, nipping and then licking at his bottom lip as he pulled away. "Sorry. Couldn't help myself, darlin."

Milo nodded, accepting the information with a smile but without much conversation. He rubbed his hands against his bare arms, wondering again why he let a teenager convince him he'd blend in better with people in their twenties if he wore a tank. Instead everyone was in jackets, and he felt out of place. As he looked around, he couldn't keep his face from showing a quick tick as he found the birthday boy. He hadn't gotten a chance to talk to him yet, but it seemed unlikely at this point that he would get the opportunity. At this point, though, he was happy with his conversation partner, even if the birthday boy seemed moment away from ditching his own party. Turning back to Miguel, Milo grabbed another bottle. "Do you say you work at the hospital then? That sounds pretty awesome. I'm just a this-and-that guy myself." Most of his income came either from foster money for the teens or the trust his father had help him set up for the center, but that tended to bounce straight back to keeping up the house and paying for food.

Ash gave a snicker. "Oh, come now. We don't gotta bring religion into this. A Baptist, a Catholic and a Jew all walk into a bar could be the opening line of a good joke." He hadn't known River had gone to Ephram for help, but it made sense that she'd gone to someone. It was a small town after all. But thoughts of River left him just as quickly as they had arrived, because Ephram's hand was now on his neck. A firm but not too firm grip, guiding his lips to Ephram's. Ash sank into it, ready to indulge and then some. "No need to apologize..." he just about managed not to stammer. It had been a while since he'd met anyone so forward. "Unless you're just teasin', rather than givin' me a pre-cursor."

River smiled at Elena's excitement over her drink, then shrugged. "I don't really understand it either." She pointed at her silly straw. "This is the presentation I like. Functional aesthetic." She took another loud sip of her apple juice, finishing it and nodding to the bartender for a refill. "So, do you know Ash? Or did you like, come here with anybody, or....?"

Ciara stored that tidbit away for later, not having had it confirmed until now. "He has a point," she said, agreeing with Freddie on Iann's fashion choices. "Don't look at me," she said, her dress only having short straps. When she moved or the wind caught her hair right, her burn scars peaked out underneath, and the tight lines that had broken the curse on them. "Blood witch, remember. I'm as warm as I need to be." And while far from immune from disease, she had a supernaturally strong immune system. Until, he mentioned a hex, and a cursed painting. Reaffirming her decision not to tell him anything. "A hex?" For a split second, Iann might have felt a little static on his skin. "Iann. Tonto."

"Not Catholic," Maya repeated. Her statement was stronger than it needed to be. However considering her personal history it was rather a tame way to say it. As the two men kissed Maya finished off her drink and picked up the one that had just arrived. She found herself vaguely wishing Ryden was there. But a quick look around confirmed he wasn't. She therefore turned her attention to her new drink instead.

Miguel followed Milo's gaze to a couple of men who looked like they were about to go somewhere that wasn't a public party. Well, they seemed happy at least. Was that the birthday boy? "Yup, witch doctor, that's me," he said with a sheepish smile. "Well, modern family doctor with a side of witchery and a skill at breaking curses." His smile grew a little. "If you don't mind my asking, I already know you're an antronach, but what kind of elements do you favor? I always love hearing about people's supernatural upbringing. And if you were raised in Soapberry, well that seems rather unique."

Freddie rolled his eyes. “Oh, good,” he said, sipping his drink (which, much to his annoyance was rather tasty - bloody Bellamy) “-a hex. Which coven did you annoy? It’s not Blackwater, is it? They still owe me a favour, and I’ve been thinking of it a bit as ‘Iann’s Bail Money’ - so I’d hate to have to spend it on a headcold.” His eyes drifted back over to where Grace was watching Ephram be delightfully sexy, and he smiled proudly. “He is. I’ll introduce you personally, if you like, darling.” And when Iann rather indelicately mentioned their friend’s personal troubles, the fairy reached up and flicked him sharply on the ear. “Oi” he said, “We’re at a flaming party, you plank - let’s save the curses for later, yeah?” Freddie glanced back to Ephram and Ash, wondering just how badly Ash was panting for his witch by now - and then turned back to the others, smiling at Ciara. “You’re a bit quiet, love - is everything alright?”

Ephram chuckled. "Nope. I ain't the teasin' sort. I'm more like to get straight to the meat of the matter." He pushed his thumb firmly against the soft yield beneath Ash's jaw, against his throat, and said, "Pre-cursor." Turning to the bar, Ephram said to Maya, "Oh, you think you're gonna slip em past us? No way, girlchild. I'm'a catch up with you before you even know what's sky or sea."

Iann was unfazed about mentioning the cursed painting. Freddie was an art conartist (haha) and Ciara was involved, Iann surmised, so why be all clandestine? Not like Yeehaw Sheriff was looking to arrest anyone. And cursed things cropped up in Soapberry all the time - take himself, for example. His eyes widened in some excitement when Ciara chided him. "Ayyyyy so it IS a hex! You can tell, Ciara? Can you unhex me?" Iann held out his hands in protest, grinning at Freddie. "What? Is that a party rule? No mentioning curses at parties?" He was being obnoxious again, he could feel it - and it was evident by the constant chides and eye-rolls from the far more dignified trio. Oh god. Iann drained his drink. "I'm getting a refill. Who wants one?"

Elena sipped her drink, from a straw that was sadly very straight and boring compared to River's one which curved and circled round back. It looked so fun, albeit a bit noisy. "Nope, I never met him before. Which one is he? Actually, there's a few people here I don't know. Well, I know most people by sight even though I don't know them well, but I've never even seen Ash before. Is it weird that I came to a party for a person I don't know? I came alone too, just to make it even stranger, if it is strange. I just feel like, I basically live here. I must be invited automatically. Besides, I'm not going to pass up free drinks." She waggled her brows and took a long drink from her straw. The flower she still had in her fingers because it was pretty afterall, but she'd just prefer it not be in her drink, so she moved forward and placed the flower into River's hair, moving a few of her strands in the process, "There," she marveled delightedly, "Looks much better on you."

Milo looked at Miguel in surprise. He'd not met many people who could pick that up instantly. The witch knew his fellows. "Curse breaking seems like quite the full skill on the side. Do you ever do ER work? I imagine it could come in handy sometimes, if you can figure out that's what the cause was. Myself? I've got a few water related marks myself." He held up his hands, although the glyphs weren't visible in his human form. "Some are directly related to rivers or more general water. My feet are both storm related glyphs." He shrugged. "I know it's a little specialized, but I've always been at home in Washington, and it's a rather rainy place."

Iann added belatedly. "And it wasn't Blackwater, but thanks, Freddie. That's so great, man," Iann said, patting Freddie's shoulder, very obviously touched by what he considered Freddie's generousity.

Maya smiled as the first Hurricane started to sink into her system. "Oh, really? If you keep getting distracted by pretty boys I'll have no problem kicking your ass," she replied. She forced herself to focus on the competition in front of her. "Of course," she smirked almost lazily, "I've been known to get distracted myself."

Miguel chuckled. "No no, that's useful, especially if you live in the Pacific North West. And that's exactly what I mean by culture and magic integrating, though I guess in this case it's plain geography and magic." He smiled and drank his hard lemonade, which was pretty good. "The curse breaking and the medicine go hand in hand," he explained. "I'll very rarely do a rotation at the ER, mostly I do the day to day kind of stuff. Talk to people about their blood pressure and diabetes risk, and in places like Soapberry, break curses."

Freddie sighed theatrically. “No, Iann darling, it isn’t a party rule - it’s a basic playing-well-with-others sort of a rule. We don’t bring up the unpleasant, frightening and otherwise off-putting circumstances of our friends when we’re out getting squiffy.” He handed off his empty glass. “And yeah, if you’re going, I’ll take another.” He batted his eyelashes. “A double, please, love.”

Ciara looked up at Freddie with a gentle smile. "Why wouldn't I be?" The real Freddie was definitely preferable to the demon one, was all. She looked at Iann sidelong, unimpressed. Sighing, she pricked her finger with her thumb nail and drew a drop of blood to the surface, and pressed it to the inside of his wrist. The blood glowed briefly before vanishing into his skin, her finger already healed. "That'll pause the effects in you for a while, but I don't have the equipment to unhex you with me. You'll just have to deal with it until later." It wasn't a severe hex, or she might have been more concerned. Her eyes caught a figure on the far side of the beech, and smiled apologetically at the three of them. "I'll be back soon, my client has finally arrived." She stepped into the crowd and linked arms with a tall man with blue tinted skin and let him guide her to a more secluded spot to talk.

Ash nodded, still a little woozy from that kiss. It had been good, and taken him unawares, bringing out a slightly flustered side of him that hardly anyone had ever seen before. "Yes sir. Good to know." He gave a quiet, throaty laugh, drinking away at the concoction Ephram had placed in front of him a few moments before. "I look forward to it. Let's not make my darling, definitely not Catholic friend over here embarrassed." He slipped an arm around her shoulder with a smile. "Don't worry, I don't expect everyone to kiss me."

Iann "I owe you," Iann said to Ciara, watching her work her magic. She was so damned adept at it, so natural and yet there was that balance ingrained into it. It wasn't just a word or a wave of her hand - it was push and pull. Give and take. Goal and sacrifice, in its own small way in this instance . He touched his wrist, and watched her leave gravely, then turned to look at Freddie, all smiles. "Anything for you, Confetti," he said, giving an 'alright alright' nod to Freddie's instructions. Gah, how on earth he could manage at a party without bringing up unpleasant, frightening or otherwise off-putting circumstances was beyond Iann. Fetching Grace's for a refill too (if she offered it), Iann trudged back to the bar, shouldering his way past Ash, Pettaline, and Maya to place his order.

Grace was glad of Freddie. Alia had a natural talent for making genuine connections. Grace was good at shmoozing, and that was about it. "Thank you," she told him pre-emptively, and thanked the glood in her glass for keeping her from visibly reacting when Ciara cut her thumb to cure Iann's snotty disposition. "Ciara, you're too good for all of us." She shook her head. "Have fun with your client."

Freddie met Ciara’s eyes, and returned her soft smile. “I have no idea, darling,” he murmured, “-but I thought I’d ask all the same. Just in case.” He watched her go when her client beckoned, then leaned in a little closer to Grace as they waited for Iann to return with fresh drinks, and pointed at a rather good looking pair of men off a little ways. “Do you know who he is, Grace love?” he asked, nodding at the one in the shorts. “I don’t think I’ve seen him before...”

Grace shook her head at Freddie's question once Ciara was out of earshot. "I've no idea. But Ciara is a respected business-woman. We can't get all over-protective now, can we? She has to make a living."

Milo "I'm sure it's still a good skill to have," Milo said. "I've always had a certain level of envy for you witches. A flick of the wrist and a dabble of power or leaves or whatever... Bam, you have something completely unique and super useful." Milo let out a chuckle as he saluted Miguel with his drink. "Mine's more... momentary. Small. I don't know how to explain it." His eyes wandered across the bar again as he watched the chatting unfold around them.

River pointed down the bar to the last place she'd seen Ash, not surprised that he was still there but surprised when she saw the Sheriff with his hands all over him. Her brows furrowed in confusion but she shrugged it off. "He's over there. We're roommates." At Elena's confession that she'd come alone, River shrugged. "Nah, I don't think it's weird. I'm jealous, actually. I don't think I could go to a party full of people I didn't know. I'm barely comfortable with a bunch of people I do know." She looked down at her drink for a moment, only looking up again when she felt Elena's fingertips on her hair, she felt a chill run down her spine as goosebumps ran down her arms and neck. "Heh. Thanks," she laughed gently, pushing hair over her other ear. "Take that drink. I wear this flower better than you," she tried to joke, feeling it probably fall pretty flat.

Iann looked around the party, his eyes eventually falling on Ruby sitting alone with what was basically a super-gulp of alcohol. "That better not be all-booze," he said, feeling a little odd when he looked at her. Not because of Ruby herself, but just the memories from the blobs. Out of all his memories, that one resonated the hardest for Iann, and he didn't really understand why.

Ephram had gotten a 'sir' out of Ash, without prompting no less. He felt a thrum of pride go through him; Freddie had sure been teaching him well, during their own bedroom forays. "Don't you worry none, Maya-girl, we'll keep the hands to ourselves. For a while. In front of you." Ephram laughed, tapping the bar. "Keep em coming till one of us calls uncle," he instructed. "Our individual states' honour is at stake here!"

Freddie shook his head, and pulled a face at Grace. “Oh good lord,” he chuckled, “-I’m not talking about the man with Ciara - what do you take me for? - she can more than look after herself. I being entirely selfish and talking about those two.” He pointed subtly at Miguel and Milo. “Specifically, the sweet-looking one in the shorts.”

Grace corrected herself quickly, looking in the direction Freddie had been pointing. "Oh." She narrowed her eyes, trying to discern if there was anything familiar about him. "No, I don't believe I know either of those two gentlemen. Why?"

Maya straightened a little. Clearly they were only interested in each other. It wasn't entirely surprising she figured. Her lazy smirk disappeared. "I mean, don't stop on my account. I've seen a lot worse," she said before picking up her drink again, "Or better depending."

Freddie “No reason,” Freddie grinned. “I just rather like the look of him - and since my Ephram will likely be too tired to manage me tonight, I’m working out a Plan B.”

Miguel laughed gently. "Pure inner elemental power compared to borrowing from a leyline?" He raised an eyebrow. "I know which one I'd prefer." He shrugged. "But I've never been an antronach so mybe I can't compare the two." He sighed a little, but kept smiling. "I guess if we're talking pure power, a fairy or a nymph would win. More malleable and not dependent on glyphs or leylines."

Ash waved his hand. "Now now, I already told this one I'm going to have to spend time with other people. It's okay. I'm not the kinda person who ignores everyone else when I get the chance to get laid." He winked in Ephram's direction. "No matter how handsome and charming the suitor is."

Elena gave River a confused look and then realized rather slowly that she was talking to the drink. "Oh," Elena laughed, pointing to the drink in her hand, "Oh I get it, but the drink can't actually respond to you, especially because I'm drinking away it's life right now." And to emphasize that, she took a long drink, reducing the drink completely. "More!" She slapped her hand on the bar jovially, setting down her empty glass and requesting another one just like but this time with a fun silly straw and minus the flower. "Ash is your roomie though? That's so cool. Roomies are nice. Mine is Iann. I think I saw him over there somewhere, talking to someone about something," she shrugged.

Milo nodded, his head bouncing as he thought for a moment. "To be completely honest, yeah, they've probably got us beat. But what's the saying? You always want what you can't have?" He'd been around that block a time or two in other ways. "I probably shouldn't drink too much," he admitted. "If the teens see me too wasted, I'll never hear the end of it." His opinion could change before the end of the night, but Milo figured he should slow down before he got too far ahead of himself, weak drinks or not.

Ephram snorted at Maya's comment, turning against the bar so his hips leaned against it and he could look around at the party. "What're you, training to be an Olympics judge? Wasn't for your benefit anyhow." He scrunched his face at her, grinning, and nudged Ash. "Don't feel like you gotta stay, darlin. I'm real good at trackin' down what I want, and you need to enjoy your party. I mean, hell--" Ephram gestured around, "all of this for you! Would be a crime if you din't enjoy it to the fullest."

Grace finally understood, and it was probably a good thing a vampire couldn't blush. "Well, he's rather handsome, and if you don't mind sharing and being shared, then I say go for it." Grace found Alia across the room, meeting her eyes with a smile. "I've only got eyes for one, lucky for me. I don't have your confidence."

Miguel finished his drink, took a step toward the recycling bin, and got a 2 point shot in. "You're probably right, I should slow down too so I can go to work tomorrow and not get picked on by residents." He smiled at Milo. "Want to go find the snacks?"

Maya smiled in a self-deprecating manner, "Just naturally judgmental." She picked up her drink again. If she was going to pull off this whole cake thing she would need to talk to River. A feat which was proving more difficult than she expected. "And clearly it wasn't for my benefit, if it were someone would be making out with me and I don't foresee that happening considering it ain't my birthday yet," she added.

Ash gestured to Ephram with a smile. "There? See. We like a nice understanding man. I like to enjoy the fruit's of everyone's labour, and not always sexually." He had almost finished his drink already. And his cigar. "I should find River. Or Bella."

Ephram nodded. "I'll stay here for a minute," he said, lifting his chin in Maya's direction. "Been a long time since I had a Sourpuss." He chortled, addressing Maya to say, "Unless you got somewheres to be?"

River Instead of getting confused or frustrated by Elena explaining the joke, River found it rather endearing. And when she ordered her next drink with a silly straw, River laughed out loud. "You're cute," she said before she could stop herself. Her eyes widened at the suddenness of her words, and the awkward moment made her attempt to occupy herself with something that wasn't making eye contact with Elena. She glanced at her watch and noticed the time. "Shit," she hissed. "Sorry, I have to uh, take care of something. I'll see you in a bit?" She pushed herself away from the bar, leaving her drink as she glanced down the bar, still seeing Maya there. She'd have to suck it up and talk to her at some point, and she was already late for the time she wanted to bring the cake out. She took a deep breath as she strode over, stopping at Maya's side, giving a quick wave to Ash and Ephram. She kept her distance from Maya, giving her a few feet of space. "We should....?" she left the question hang, seeing as Ash was right there.

Milo chuckled. "Snacks sound good. They must be around here somewhere." He glanced around and saw a couple of baskets over on the other end of the bar. "Think that could be it?" he asked. There were all kinds of people around, and they could do a bit of mingling on their way through. It wouldn't be the worst way to catch up with a friend or two along the way.

Iann returned with beverages, handing them carefully but easily to Grace and Freddie. "There you go, you two. Drink up, booze is free. Grace I got yours with a little fancy blood, if you wanted. Don't worry, it's in its own separate shot glass if you don't want it."

Freddie looked at Grace, his smile going a bit softer. “Oh, believe me, love,” he said, lowering his voice so that it was just for the two of them, “-I’ve only got eyes for one myself; the sort of eyes that matter. Sex is just... fleeting. And fun. But there’s only ever one person that I want to kiss goodnight.” Talking to Grace inspired a level of openness that Freddie didn’t often experience, and he let some of his own vulnerability show through. “Confidence is often harder won than it seems for people like us, eh darling?” He looked over at Alia then, golden and gorgeous, not far off. “You should hear how that one talks about you, though,” he said. “Like you set the stars alight, just for her.”

Maya saw River out of the corner of her eye. She felt herself stiffen more than she recognized herself doing it. "As it turns out I do," she replied to Ephram with a cheeky sort of smile. She wasn't supposed to be bitter or judgmental at this party. She should be happy. Picking up her drink she headed up towards the parking lot, "I've put the thing on wheels." Tonight wasn't about her and River, she reminded herself, it was about Ash and he deserve a good surprise.

Speaking of River, she had just arrived. Ash gave her a smile, glad to see she'd been enjoying herself. "Don't lose my number," he said in Ephram's direction, planning tto accompany River somewhere before he caught the implication she already had plans.

Freddie took the drink that Iann handed him and leaned up to press a kiss to his friend’s cheek. “Cheers, love.”

"Could be." Miguel started toward the baskets. As he walked he nodded at every witch he saw, his family coven was wide and deep, and even if a witch wasn't actually a part of the Falling Leaf coven, they still knew someone in it, still knew who Lupita was, still nodded when Miguel nodded at them. Miguel took no joy in it, but it was familiar and a little bit comforting.

Elena simply said, "Thanks," in response to River saying she was cute, not finding it an awkward thing to say in the least because of course she was cute, in fact, she was more than cute. It was a little unfortunate that River had to run off to take care of something, but Elena paid it no mind. She sipped her drink and looked around to see if she recognized anyone nearby.

Grace listened to Freddie's words. Still working on her original drink and enjoying the lack of awkwardness that Iann usually brought to the table. "It's nice, if you can see things that way. I'm just not that sort of girl, I suppose... not with Alia, anyway." She couldn't contain her smile at the thought of Alia talking about her like that. "I do the same. We're both just as smitten as each other, which is how it should be."

River followed Maya out to the parking lot, keeping her distance. When she saw the cake, she smiled, and was glad that Maya was being all business for the moment. "Awesome. How do I get into it? And I think you're gonna need to like, wheel me out. And announce the cake and stuff." She smiled sheepishly at her. "Sorry, I'm sorta playing this by ear."

Maya "I have a step stool," Maya replied. She got the cake, carefully, out of the back of the car. "The top is just cardboard so no problem pushing that off," she explained. After pulling the step stool out too she helped River into it. Then Maya wheeled the cake back down to the beach. Once she was close enough she caught the eye of the people she knew and nodded before she began to sing, "Happy birthday to you..."

Freddie “Most people aren’t,” Freddie said with an easy smile. “And admittedly,” he chuckled, “[there’s a healthy amount of possessiveness going on at the same time, so we’re not entirely selfless in our sharing.” The fairy took a sip of his drink. “Ephram once threw me over his shoulder and carried me out of the inn, as a matter of fact.” He smirked. “Iann wasn’t thrilled - but I rather enjoyed it.”

Ephram got himself a bourbon sour and settled in where he was, catching sight of Freddie talking to a tall high-society looking blonde. His husband looked so good with her, sleek and immaculately groomed, and Ephram kept his gaze locked there even as he automatically joined in with the birthday song.

Freddie nodded at Grace, smiling. “Smitten is one of my favourite words. ‘Besotted’, too. I’ve been besotted with Ephram since the day we met.”

Grace touched her glass to Freddie's, her smile just as soft as his. "Well, don't we make a right pair? A pair of besotten fools."

Elena noticed Ephram further down the bar and essentially pranced over to him, whispering to him, "I don't know the words to this song." Even though it was rather simple and straight forward. "Are we all supposed to sing?"

Freddie clinked back, meeting Grace’s eyes, a wonderful sort of understanding in the air between them. “We absolutely are,” he agreed, “And I can’t think of anything I’d rather drink to.”

Ephram was delighted to find Elena suddenly arriving at the bar, pulling her into his arms so her back was settled against him and she could watch the proceedings as well. "Don't worry," he whispered back," you can just hum whatever you want and then scream yay! at the end. Then I'll teach you the monkey version." He chuckled, rubbing his face playfully against the crown of her head.

Milo was pleasantly surprised at just how many people Miguel seemed to know. "Is there anyone you don't know?" he asked. He had his own connections too, but Miguel seemed to have twice as many. It was fairly impressive, if a bit intimidating when Milo had lived here his entirely life.

Iann "Aren't you two sweet," Iann said to Grace and Freddie, before checking his watch. "Anyway, wow look at the time..." he mocked up a wide yawn, and stretch, clapping Freddie on the shoulder. "See you back at the Inn, man. Grace, say hi to Alia for me, hm?" He was about to make his escape but then a gigantic cake was wheeled out, pushed by Maya. The cake was huge, and Iann marveled at it. Big enough to fit a person, he thought jovially, not bothering to sing along. He'd done that at the Grace-Alia party; once was enough.

Grace smiled, sipping her vodka, already pleasantly buzzed thanks to the fairy blood mixed in. "I quite agree."

Elena happily allowed herself to be embraced by Ephram, settling herself comfortably in his arms and clapping her hands at the sight of the very large, very impressive cake that appeared. She did hum, it wasn't the tune of happy birthday, and what it was exactly even she didn't know. "There's a monkey version?"

Ciara finished her discussion five minutes later with a lighter but more tightly stuffed purse, feeling an inch more relieved now that was one thing dealt with. She slowly returned to the party as a huge cake was wheeled out, coming to a stop to watch curiously, and joining in with the song absently even though she still hadn't met the host of the evening. A couple people behind her had had a few too many, and definitely weren't joining in on that song but something else entirely in loud rambunctious tones. One of them stumbled and knocked into her, knocking her into the person in front of her. Before the last dregs of her drink even managed to spill, she caught it with a little magic, pulling it back into the cup. "Sorry," she whispered with a smile, gesturing at the duo behind her, "some people have already had too much fun."

Ash had stopped flirting just in time for there to be a song. He didn't blush at attention. In fact, he revelled in it. Like Ephram had said, everyone was here for him. Even those who had just stopped by for the free drinks and free food and the chance to hook up. He gave a gracious smile. Ash wasn't a stranger to being surrounded by people. He made a habit of it. This time though, it felt different. These people actually knew him, and they actually liked him. Not just because he was charming and rich, but because of who he was as a person.

Ephram nodded emphatically, enjoying the sound of Elena's undulating hum and the feel of her body settled against him. "The monkey version is only for if you're good friends with the person, though," he said. "Say, you ever seen a monkey? Like, a real one?"

Iann was always interesting to see how people reacted to their own birthday. Grace and Alia were immersed in each other, in the celebration of each other, together. Ash Caplan looked pleased like he expected all of this, like this was exactly how he'd wanted it to go. But on top of that, there was something simply beaming about the expression on his pixie-like face. Iann couldn't help but smile slightly; someone's genuine happiness was always a little infectious. He touched his wrist absently where Ciara had touched him, and looked on. He figured he might as well stick around for the cake-cutting before ducking out.

Freddie didn’t sing, just watched as the enormous cake was rolled out, idly wondering if whoever was inside it - because there had to be somebody inside it - would be naked or not when they jumped out. And then he glanced at Iann, knowing that his partner had cake-jumping aspirations of his own - jumpee, not jumper - and laughed softly, hoping to see him sputter adorably with envy.

Milo paused as the music to watch what was going on. The birthday part of birthday party seemed to be underway, and he looked on with a smile as the cake was wheeled out. It was a positively massive cake.

From the corner, Ruby sang quietly, smiling at the general feeling of happiness in the room.

Elena shook her head, "Never, not in real life. I've seen them in pictures and videos but never a real monkey in person. Well, I think I saw one in the park one time but it could have been something else, and it was moving so quickly I couldn't get a good look at it anyway. I don't think I could say the monkey version though cause I don't even know Ash. I know he is River's roommate and that is all," she sipped at her drink.

 Ephram "Naw you don't gotta learn it for THIS party, but it'll be useful in the future for when you wanna sing to your friends." Ephram dropped his chin to her shoulder and mused, "I ain't ever seen no real monkey my own self. That feels wrong somehow."

Just then, someone bumped into her and she felt something cold slosh down her side. Ruby made a noise of surprise and turned to see the woman who had been talking with Iann and Freddie earlier turning to apologize. “It’s alright,” Ruby said, shaking the liquid off her hand. “It’ll dry.” She wipes her hand - the other held a drink - off on her neon shorts and held it out. “I’m Ruby, by the way. I don’t think we’ve met.”

River crouched down into the cake and felt it rumble along on the wheels as Maya pushed it along. Was this even a good idea? She was deliberately making herself the center of attention, even if only for a moment. All because Alia made a joke and she thought it would be funny. It wasn't that she was scared of stealing the spotlight form Ash at his party or anything like that, he knew how to be in the spotlight no matter what. No, she just didn't want the spotlight at all. But it was too late now as Maya began to sing and the crowd joined in. She waited for the song to be over, humming it quietly and nervously to herself from inside the cake, and when it finally ended, she took a deep breath and pushed the cardboard top off above her head, throwing her arms up in the air and screaming "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" at the top of her lungs, deciding that if she was in it now, she might as well commit.

Elena "Why is it wrong?" Elena asked but before she could wonder about it too long, the song ended and out from the top of the cake burst River. Elena started in her surprise, nearly spilling her drink in the process. "Ephram! Look! Look!" She waved her hand forward, wiggling her body against him with excitement, "It's River! In the cake! She's jumped out from the cake! That's so fun!"

Iann "Holy shit," Iann said, slightly startled when River jumped out of the cake. He looked around the crowd, to see if a) everyone was seeing this; and b) that was actually River and not the doppleganger or anything. Turned out it was actually River, and Iann looked from Maya to River, to Ash and then back to the cake, taking it all in. Then he turned to gawp at Freddie, his eyes wide. "That-! That was - ! That's what I wanted, that's my idea!! They did it..." Iann slowly applauded, joining in with everyone else.

Maya was glad she wasn't the center of attention for long. As soon as River had emerged from the cake everyone was focused on the selkie. For her part Maya slinked back to the bar.

Tuah rushed to the party once he was able to, and apparently Tuah came at the peak moment of the party when he saw someone jumping out of the cake (was it Iann's idea? he's been wishing for it for quite some time from what he understood). Looking through the crowd, he scanned for Iann before making his way through the crowd. "Hey, sorry I'm late," he gave a quick kiss before turning towards River and Maya. "That's quite a surprise. Did you plan it?"

Ephram "Good Lord!" River busting out of the cake was unexpected, and Ephram was sort of glad that he hadn't worn his service revolver. "That's real fun, yeah," he said to Elena, then loosened back up and laughed. "You're friends with River, huh? She looks real cute. Like in Singin' in the Rain."

Ash hadn't even expected someone to be inside the cake, let alone River. She was the introversion to his extraversion. This didn't strike him as her sort of thing. That much attention on her, that many people, it was her worst nightmare, and still she was doing it. For him. To give him a surprise, something to smile about. "Oh wow." He was probably blushing now, but not from embarrassment. With love. He walked over to her, wrapped her up in his arms and held her close. "That was the best surprise ever. I love you girl."

Ciara shook her head and magicked the drink off the woman in front of her with a flick of her hand. As far as alcoholic drinks went, there were much worse to have spilled on you. "Ruby... Ruby Deveraux, by any chance? I've heard only good things." It was a unique enough name that it wouldn't surprise her in a town like this. "Ciara, it's a pleasure to meet you." They were interupted by River - River? - jumping out of the cake, and while she was distracted for a moment, Ciara remembered River's social awkwardness well enough to be surprised.

Milo let out a deep laugh as someone popped out of the cook. He wasn't sure they'd met before, but Milo was pretty sure it must have been Ash's roommate. If he didn't have a significant other--and based on previous conversations and his encounter with the other man earlier--a roommate was the best explanation. It certainly was a funny encounter. He started clapping on her behalf, letting out a low whistle for her efforts.

Freddie took another sip of his drink, waiting for the the crowd to get all the way through the birthday song, and indulged in a bit of people watching. Absent-mindly noting whose jewellery might be worth pilfering if he’d had a mind to (he didn’t, but old habits died hard) and whose arse was cute. Whose outfit was appalling (other than Iann’s), and who should be avoided (ah- there was Ruby). The fairy raised his hand slightly to give his ex-wife a little wave and a smile, then let his gaze flit off again in search of the man from earlier in the delightful floral shorts, as suddenly the cake erupted - at which point Iann began to sputter. And it was every bit as adorable as Freddie had hoped. “I know, love,” he said soothingly, his eyes sparkling wickedly, “We’ll get you one too, sometime, yeah? Maybe for that holiday with the trees? Or the one about presidents?”

"Singin' in the Rain?" Elena's face scrunched up, brows coming together and full lips forming a confused frown, "But she's not singing and it isn't even raining."

Iann looked up when Tuah appeared at his side and gave him a little noncommittal grunt, but he didn't stop Tuah from kissing his cheek. "No, I didn't plan it. Clearly other people in this town also have brilliant ideas. And the follow-through. Kids can do anything, huh?" Iann commented neutrally to Tuah, then squinched his face at Freddie. "/My/ birthday! Alia said she'd handle all the planning for me. I should remind her..." He tapped his finger to his lips.

River climbed out of the cake with the help of the built in step stool, an awkward smile on her face as she sort of stumbled but not quite when she landed, thankful to be on solid ground again. Ash was upon her as soon as she touched down, giving her a huge hug that she returned with the same intensity. "Sorry I'm not a stripper," she teased. When the separated, she put a hand on his blushing cheek. "Love you too, dude. I'm glad you liked it."

Ephram kissed those perplexed brows with a soft chuckle. "A girl jumps outta a cake in the movie, it's a really good movie."

Freddie laughed again. “I thought we’d decided that you wanted no such thing as a party for your birthday,” he accused Iann good-naturedly. “You all but begged me not to give you one! Or am I just not invited to this little soirée of Alia’s?” The fairy grinned. “You know if I pout at her, she’ll let me come anyway.” And then he turned to Tuah - because it would be impolite not to - and said, “Hello, Tuah darling; how are you? Iann mentioned earlier that you were back.”

Ash chuckled, helping River up over the top and down onto the ground. "You're crazy, honey. But you're better than any stripper."

Tuah hummed at the mention of Iann's birthday, remembering the sort-of plan that Alia had hatched for the event. It certainly would be interesting. He didn't think he'd have the courage to do so if Iann's birthday would be attended with these so many people, and he was glad that Alia had agreed to do it privately. "I'm going to grab a drink. Do you want anything?" He asked, before turning his attention towards Freddie and gave him a polite nod, then turning his attention towards Iann.

Elena still frowned a little, even after his soft kiss to her brows, but she moved passed her confusion by saying to him, "Watch it with me later, and then you can teach me the monkey version of the song."

Iann "No, Tuah, I'm fine. Say, Ruby's over there; go say hi to her, hm? She's been worried sick about you," Iann replied to Tuah, hands stuck in his pockets as he waited for Tuah to head off, before turning to look at Freddie, eyes getting rounder. "Noooo god I don't want a party like this. I just want the cake, and like you, and Alia and Grace of course. And a couple other people."

River smiled slyly. "Thanks. Seems like you don't need a stripper tonight anyway, the way the Sheriff was feeling up on you," she said playfully, glancing over Ash's shoulder to where she'd last seen Ephram, her smile fading quickly when she saw Elena all but wrapped up in his arms, him placing a soft kiss on her forehead. She didn't know why she was so disappointed. It wasn't like she'd tried any moves on her or anything, but she'd been kinda of hopeful, and in her naive mind if Elena was flirting with someone else, it meant River was already out of her mind. Ugh, she shouldn't even be thinking about this sort of thing. She'd just gotten out of a break up. Should she really be flirting at all?

Grace gave a little snicker at Iann's mini tantrum. "Don't worry, darling. I'm sure someone will jump out of a cake for you one day soon." It struck her that she didn't even know when Iann's birthday was. It wasn't the type of thing anyone mentioned just in passing, and she hadn't exactly checked his ID. "Maybe Tuah can be convinced."

Ephram said "The movie has real nice songs too. It'll be just one big ol' sing-along, how's that sound?"

Ash gawped at River's words. "You saw that?" But then, what she'd actually said hit him. "Wait he's a sheriff? Like badge and gun, handcuffs and all, sheriff?" Ash glanced around the room, looking to lay eyes on the handsome man again. "Well, he can arrest me any time. What can I say? I go months without any intertest, and then, boom."

Freddie “Fine,” Freddie said, pretending to huff. “Something small then.” And then he grinned cheekily. “But I still want something lavish and glorious, and you promised to give it to me.” He gave Iann a playful sort of nudge. “Never dangle a party in front of a fairy, darling,” he winked, “We don’t get over that sort of thing.”

Maya looked up from her new drink. "There is actual cake there," she piped up, "If anyone has plates you can cut off pieces of it. I did spent a minute on it."

"Ah, yes. It's good to be back," Tuah replied with a polite smile on his lips, before turning his attention towards Iann, "Well, alright. I'll be at the bar if you need me." The treatment was to be expected, though he couldn't help but feel a little pout threatening to appear on his lips. But before he could pull such a face, Tuah wore that polite smile of his and squeeze Iann's arm before making his way towards the bar. He made his way towards Ruby first, and whoever was with the other. "Hey," he greeted, a gentle smile now on his face.

Iann grunted at Grace's comment, and then couldn't help but smirk slightly at the vampire. "Maybe Alia will do it? She's the most excited about the idea..." Grace properly teased and the Tuah comment deflected, Iann clapped his hands once at Freddie. "Oh yeah!! Okay. You're the only one I'd trust with a party for me anyway." Because god knew a party for him was mortifying. Iann was banking on Freddie finding the right balance.

Grace smacked Iann on the arm. "If Alia is jumping out of a cake for anyone's birthday, it will be mine, and since our birthdays are so close together, I doubt that's going to happen."

Bella had been rather busy making sure that food and drinks were all in heavy supply around the party, not having actually made it to much of the event because of this. When she finally did arrive it seemed Iann was with Freddie which looked like a bad option, Ephram and Elena seemed to be getting on well, Tuah was with Ruby which seemed an awful combo and it looked like River was in a cake being admired by Ash. So for now Bellamy just headed down the beach from the main building and took a seat on the sand watching everyone.

River nodded. "Yup. He helped me once before with my parents stuff. Nice guy." She chuckled at Ash's lewd insinuations, but she kept her eyes on Elena for a little longer than she should have, tearing them away to look at Ash again. This was stupid. She reached up to touch the flower in her hair, thinking about yanking it out, but instead leaving it be for now. She'd caught herself in a mirror on the way up to the parking lot, and she'd liked how it looked. That's the reason she told herself that she kept it there, anyway. "So, what do you think of the whole shabang?" she asked, gesturing to all the decorations and the people. She just hoped he was having fun.

Miguel smiled a bit. "Yeah, my coven is pretty big." He nodded his head. "Though most witches know us, most of us are further south. Kind of a Mexico to Southern California kinda coven." After the song ended and a girl jumped out of the cake and Miguel wanted a snack. Eventually he found a basket with different kinds of fruit in it and picked up a mango.

Milo looked at Miguel. "You know we were looking at snacks? I think I'm going to pop over and get a piece before it's gone." Glancing back to see if Miguel was following, he moved up toward Maya. "Did you make this?" he asked. "It looks really good. Do we have plates or should be pull it straight off the cake?" The latter felt a bit unsanitary, but it was a beach party after all.

Ash draped an arm around River's shoulder, hugging her close. "Nice guy, good flirt..." He chuckled, still a little embarrassed about that whole thing going down in front of Maya, but glad at the implications at least." Something was on River's mind, and he doubted it was whether or not Ash was getting laid tonight. "I wouldn't worry, sweetie," he whispered, following her eyeline to Ephram and the other girl he was flirting with. "He's a bit of a player, but he already pretty much said he's coming home with me tonight."

“You filthy liar,” Freddie teased, “You just know you can manipulate me, whereas our Alia is likely resistant to your charms.” The fairy caught Grace’s eye and gave her a grin. “And besides, I was talking about the party you said you were going to throw for me - I mean, bloody hell... do you never remember any of our conversations?”

"Oh bloody hell then," Grace answered, playfully exasperated. "Well, just make a google document or something. With all our birthdays and ages."

River blushed immediately when Ash noticed her staring at Elena. "I'm not...worried," she said incredulously. It was obvious denial. A flat out lie. She raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean I should sleep in the RV tonight?" she asked with a smirk.

"This is getting way too complicated. Documents on google? I don't even know what that means," Iann laughed, and scratched at his head, glancing over at Tuah's back for a moment before looking at Freddie and Grace. "Ah...well, cake's been cut, so I'm gonna head out, hm?" He clapped Freddie's arm, and nodded at Grace. "Have fun you two."

It was starting to get darker and Miguel had eaten some snacks and drank beer and hard lemonade and he had thrown Molly a couple snacks that wouldn't hurt her dog tummy. The two of them walked along the beach looking for firewood, it would be nice to make a beach fire, so people who were getting cold as the sun went down would be able to stay warm and enjoy the night a little longer.

Danny headed into the party, just in some brightly coloured shorts, Steve hopping along behind him. Immediately he made his way over to one of the few people he recognised. River. Whoever she was with he did not recognise at all but grinned when he saw her. "You look like you're doing better," he said simply, looking between the two to make sure he hadn't upset either with his presence.

Ash shrugged. "Uh, we didn't get that far yet. I don't know if he wants me to go to his place, or with his husband, or what. I'll keep you posted though." He picked up another drink, and lit a cigarette. It was a bad habit, but he already had plenty of them, so he figured he would just let himself continue. "I'm gonna mingle."

Bella leap up the moment Ash seemed to leave his companion that she didn't recognise, her heels left behind in the house but the rest of her ensemble in tact. "Happy Birthday," she smiled as she reached him, immediately linking arms.

Drink in hand Maya walked down the beach. She stopped just before she ran into someone else. "Sorry," she said with an embarrassed smile before asking, "Are you making a fire because I could really go for one about now." Her outfit, with its crop top, was not made for post sundown. She could definitely go for a bonfire and was pretty certain she wasn't the only one.

Freddie said goodbye to Iann, then turned back to Grace with a grin. “Shall we get another drink and have a little wander round, darling? Or do you think Alia will be ready to murder me by now for monopolising you all night?”

Ash beamed as he saw Bella. "Hey! I hadn't seen you all night. I was beginning to wonder if you had ditched this after all the effort you took to set it up," he teased. "It's awesome, by the way. You and River did an amazing job."

Charlie knew they were late. It was already darker than they'd intended for it to be. It wasn't hard to find the party, so they sauntered over to the group. It felt cheap to grab a drink first thing, but the beer was right there. They paused and looked around for who all they knew.

Grace dismissed Freddie's concerns with a wave of her hand. "Alia isn't jealous like me," she chuckled. "Let's have another drink, have some cake, and you can introduce me to that handsome husband of yours."

Miguel nodded. "Yeah, I figure a lot of people could use a bonfire and a place to sit and get warm." Molly grabbed a big stick and trot toward Miguel, tail wagging. Miguel took the stick and pet her head. "If you want to help, we're making a pile over there." He nodded toward where he had a good pile started.

Bella shrugged her shoulders as she wandered with him. "Was just trying to keep food coming but I guess I didn't have to worry, someone brought a whole cake," she laughed. "Besides, I didn't really know like more than half of the names you said to me so honestly I don't know like eighty percent of the people here." Some she recognised from meeting them once or twice. Whoever had come out of said cake was definitely not someone she knew but at least she was getting a moment with him. "I'm glad you're having fun. I'm sorry I couldn't come out sooner."

River nodded as Ash announced he was gonna mingle, her attention quickly stolen by Danny. She gave him a wide smile. "I am, thanks!" It was easy to dismiss her feelings in all this excitement. Plus, she was becoming sort of numb to them as the days went by. "How're you, man?"

Maya got distracted for a moment by the do trotting over towards them. She was easily distracted by dogs. Turning back to the man she flashed a smile, "Yeah you got it. You got a name or should I just take credit for the idea?"

Ash chuckled. "Maya, I think. She's a baker. River must've put her up to this. The group of you are like an unstoppable force." He shook his head. "You shouldn't be apologizing. I should be apologizing that you have to spend so much time backstage at a party you organized. Come have some fun, lady."

Charlie saw Danny and River over by the bar and headed toward them. "Hey all," they said as they moved closer. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything if I squeeze in."

Miguel chuckled and smiled. "My name is Miguel, and this is Molly." He had an inkling that she was more interested in Molly than him. That was okay, Molly was very charismatic, and he knew it.

"Dude, I am always down for a beach thing, I heard about it from some guys at the pub, this shit will definitely be getting out of control. Open invitation is open for trouble," Danny said as Steve nodded wisely beside him. "I'm heading to the ocean the moment that I get too warm from the glorious beer belly I'm about to give myself. You seen any around here? None of the bud light shit," he commented, Steve turning his nod into the shake of a head. Fortunately Charlie approached and Steve gave them what he could of a smile to show they were welcome.

Maya said hello to Molly. She then smiled at the man in front of her and held out a hand for him to shake, "Maya, responsible for the cake and happy to help with making a bonfire."

"Oh yeah, I met her," Bellamy said. She'd interacted with her once or twice but she supposed she had become distracted with other things. "I don't know if we're a group if one person doesn't really know the other two but you've certainly amassed a wonderful group. What fun is there to be had that I have been missing?" she questioned.

“Perfect,” Freddie said, holding out his arm for Grace to take and heading for the bar. They freshened their drinks, collected a bit of cake; which, the fairy had to admit was very good - Maya was quite talented in that regard - and the two of them began to meander their way through the crowd toward the last place Freddie had caught a glimpse of Ephram. “Do you think I should be jealous?” he mused light-heartedly to his friend, “I mean, I am forty, and Ash is...” Freddie laughed, not actually in any way insecure about his physical appeal. “God, how bloody old is he? I was too distracted by the girl hopping out of the cake to count the candles.”

River jabbed her thumb toward the bar. "Open bar. They have like, a lot. Not that I know what any of it is," she said with a smile, laughing a little at Steve shaking his head at Danny. "Don't go too crazy." When Charlie approached, River gave them a welcoming wave. "Charlie! Hey! You both missed me jumping out of a cake, by the way."

Ash exhaled, taking in the whole thing. He had eaten so many miniature burgers and watermelon icepops that he couldn't even fathom the thought of tackling his own cake, but he was sure that would pass in a few minutes. The thing looked amazing, Miami Vice themed and everything. "I have some great friends. I really just sort of let that sink in tonight. As far as what you've missed, just people hanging out, having fun, Ephram and I made out a little..." He threw that one in casually.

Upon shaking hands, Miguel knew that Maya was another witch. He grinned at her. "That's kind of like a secret handshake when we do it, huh?"

Danny looked over at the bar, grinning at Charlie when he gazed back. "Probably for the best, I prefer my girls that come out of cakes to possibly be down for me. You're only down for my sisters, she thought Miracle was hot," Danny told Charlie with a wink, knowing Charlie had met his littlest sister.

"Jealous?" Grace repeated. It didn't seem like it was in his nature. "From what I've seen, a bit of flirting and meaningless sex is normal for you too, so as long as you're both happy with the arrangements, I don't see why you should be jealous at all." Unless it was an age thing. But that hardly made sense. Ephram wasn't exactly young himself. He must have been closer to Freddie's age than Ash's. "He's twenty-four, Alia said."

"That's me," Ruby nodded to the woman who introduced herself as Ciara. "And nice to meet you too." She wondered who Ciara had met that knew her, but she couldn't help but smile at the comment. "Thanks. I-" And then Tuah was there and Ruby was left speechless for the span of a good few seconds before she threw her arms around his neck. "Where the hell have you been???" she said, squeezing him hard.

Bella laughed. "Who here hasn't made out with Ephram a little," she smirked, giving him a nudge. "Who else you intending to make out with? I mean, birthday boy can take his pick, right?" she giggled, leading them over to a bar.

Maya always felt a little awkward when someone immediately identified her as a witch, "Uh, yeah, I suppose so." She smiled and took a long sip from her drink. "So do you know Ash or..." she asked, hoping to get the attention away from her personal discomfort.

River hit Danny on the arm, blushing at his words. "Dude!"

"Damn," Charlie shook their head. "That seems like it would have been entertaining. Did you do a dance with it?" They grinned, knowing the idea was a little outside River's comfort zone. They could respect that. They could also respect the description of Danny's sister, although they didn't figure it was probably best to make any sort of comments of their own about her carefully. "Did she do anything about this?" Charlie asked. "More importantly, is that something Miracle would have been down for? If so, you'll have to let us know next time she's in town."

Ash snorted, not exactly unflatteringly. "You're asking me if I have a list? I flirted with this cute guy Milo at the grocery store the other day, so if he's still here..." Ash looked around for him, but to no avail. "To be honest, sex and relationships and stuff aren't that big for me, just every once in a while I get a little antsy and get the urge to fool around a little."

"I mean she's pan or something," Danny said knowing that Miracle was at the perfect age where they couldn't perfectly define their sexuality. "But she's also on the other side of the planet and I'll big brother out and say you can't bang my sister and toss her to the curb. She probably wouldn't let that happen either and her familiar is a spider so...I wouldn't advise it." Looking down to Steve the wallaby sighed, understanding Danny in and instantly and hoping off to get him a beer. "But I don't think she was mad about being considered gorgeous, we're quite a vain family, species, you know, all that stuff."

"No ah... a friend actually brought me here. I've never actually met Ash." Miguel shrugged and started back toward the stack of wood.

Freddie laughed, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, darling,” he said, “I’m only teasing. Not about Ash’s age -” he chuckled again, “-I genuinely had no idea about that. I know next to nothing about him - “ Freddie glanced down at his outfit and grinned, “-other than he’s quite fond of the 80′s. The rest though, was just a wind up. I know very well what I bring to the table.” He winked, “So mostly I was fishing for compliments.”

Bella scratched at her neck when Ash mentioned Milo, knowing the guy didn't like her and wasn't really sure how their last meeting had totally gone. "Well Ephram is the perfect person to fool around with, but he's also a heartbreaker, so don't let me worry too much about you," Bellamy squeezed his arm tenderly. If Ash wanted to screw around that she could wholly support but love hurt, and Ash was far too elegant and confident to be brought down by it as she had been so many times. "Pina colada," she requested of the bartender as they made it there. "I can't believe you don't have your tail out."

Charlie snorted. "Somehow I doubt River's the hit and quit type." They winked at River as they spoke, not necessarily mentioning their own habits. They'd mostly brought themself into it just to see what Danny's reaction would be anyway. They raised a brow as Steve grabbed a beer. "Where I can get one of him?"

Danny Immediately Danny wrapped an arm around River, giving her a gentle squeeze as Charlie's words affected him. River knew how sensitive he could be about what he was and what Steve was to him so when Steve returned with the beer and handed it to Danny the marsupial hid behind River too as Danny tried to remain calm. "He's...the best," Danny merely said, giving Charlie a smile.

Ash was grateful for Bella's concern. It was nice having people to look out for him. It wasn't something anyone had ever done before. "Don't worry. I'm not looking for a husband, just a bit of fun." And that spot was already taken. He glanced down at his human legs. "Eh, I thought about it. I could have my tail out, but then I couldn't wear the suit."

Maya smiled, "A friend, what's it like to have one of those?" She picked up some driftwood as well, actually helping with the firewood as she's offered. After arranging the wood she pulled a lighter out of her pocket and started a bonfire.

Tuah returned Ruby's hug, though he was careful not to crush her. "I'll tell you when we get back, hm," he promised her, the gentle smile still on his lips. "I know I have a lot of explaining to do, to you and Iann. And to others too, but both of you especially." After a moment he continued, "I'm sorry for leaving for so long." Tuah then turned his attention towards others who were with them at the moment. "Hi," he smiled politely, "I don't think we've met. I'm Tuah."

Bella "I am desperate as hell, always looking for a husband," Bellamy joked. It was not exactly true but Bellamy had never denied she enjoyed companionship and romantic companionship helped with her loneliness, except on evenings like this when she didn't imagine Miles would be around. "True, and fashion is quite important at a theme party, you looked completely dashing, no wonder someone locked lips with you."

Grace settled next to Freddie, planting her arm on his muscular back. "You're a big softie. Another thing we have in common." She definitely must have been tipsy. "Don't tell anyone I said that." Not that it was much of a secret any more. She openly adored Alia every chance she got. "What's a guy like you have to fish for compliments for?"

"Not a real friend so much as a covenly connection. I wouldn't know what having a friend feels like," Miguel said with a small smile.... Once the fire was going he pulled out a blanket and sat on it with Molly against his leg.

"Well, I wouldn't know what a covenly connection feels like, if that helps," Maya replied. She sat down on near Miguel and his blanket, but not quite on it.

Charlie realized they may have said the wrong thing and took a sip of their beer. They weren't sure how to continue on the saem topic, so they figured it might be best to move away. "I never got to meet the rest of your sisters. They're all younger than you, right? Or did I get that wrong?" Charlie knew they'd talked about it before, but at very least it was something to say.

Ruby pulled back, looking over to where Iann stood among the crowd. "He's mad. But it's just because he was worried. But I guess you already know that." She patted a hand over his chest, then his face. "Don't be sorry, and... you don't even have to explain. I'm just glad you're okay..." Memories of a delusion shared with Iann flickered through her mind, and her eyes drifted back to where Tuah's lover still stood, pointedly ignoring him. She patted Tuah once more, letting out a breath. "Damn it's good to see you... just..." Ruby shook her head, grinning despite herself. "Nevermind," she grinned, turning towards the woman she'd been speaking to when Tuah showed up. But she was gone. "Damn..." Ruby sighed, hoping she hadn't seemed rude.

"One is older," Danny told her. "We're all pretty close in age except Miracle though, between the five of us we're all within six years, and then it dips down to Miracle who is twelve years younger than me," he described, definitely finding a focus for his words able to ease his thoughts.

Charlie smiled. "I still don't get the sibling thing, but cheers to you guys." They raised their glass in a toast and took another sip of their beer. "How's the tattoo treating you, by the way? You know your way around aftercare, but still."

Danny did know about aftercare but he only did it about half as much as he should. "I think it's looking okay," he said, holding up his arm to show the tattoo they had done. They were quite good and the watercolour part still looked pretty legit. "You two bring cozzies?" he asked.

River felt her chest tighten as Charlie said something about Steve, and felt weirdly honored when he hid behind her. But thankfully Danny handled it okay, her putting a hand on his arm for a moment for support, then removing it when the subject was glossed over. She stood silently, observing the conversation between the two of them. She found herself doing that often when she was part of a group of more than two. She felt involved just by listening, hoping that other people didn't find that creepy. "Cozzies?" She finally joined in, cocking her head to the side.

Charlie smirked and shook their head. "Merm. I don't own any kind of suit. We can still go swimming if you're not feeling offended by boobs." To them it wasn't a big deal, but they knew it was best to check first.

Elena liked the idea of a sing-along party with Ephram and she beamed at him. "Don't forget about it!" She said pointedly at him with a gleaming grin, "Now I'm going to get cake!" She bounded away from him then, going towards the table where they were serving out slices of cake and she helped herself to one of the bigger slices. She was about to go back to Ephram but noticed there was a bonfire starting, and she did love the smell of burning driftwood. It gave off such a beautiful scent and she liked to think even the color of the fire was different. So she moved towards it and sat down on a blanket, right next to a man and his dog. "Hello," she greeted him happily. "Want some cake?"

Tuah excused himself to head back towards Iann and Ruby pushed a bit into the crowd to see if she could find Ciara. After no such luck, she moved over to the fire to warm herself up a bit. It was less crowded here too, and it gave her a chance to people watch a bit more. "Great party, isn't it?" she said to the other few people standing around.

"Yeah, swimmers?" Danny asked with a raise of his brow. "Bikini...the other ones girls have that come with a weird assortment or names?" he suggested as he looked at River. "Offended by boobs? Nah, I don't think they'll do anything offensive."

Miguel looked up at the bubbly... merm, he thought as she brushed his leg. "Sure ah! Hi, I'm Miguel," he told her with a quick sheepish smile. He always felt like he had to be a bit bumbling, it usually made people more trusting faster. At least outside of work, no one liked a bumbling doctor.

River perked up with recognition. "Ooooooh, okay," she nodded. Then gestured toward Charlie. "Same here. I don't have a swimsuit." She really did want to swim, feeling the heat from the magically heated beach starting to get to her, a little too warm for her liking. She knew the ocean would be nice and cold. But there were so many people here....she didn't know if she could get naked in front of them all. "Are you two gonna swim?"

Ash perked up. First, Bella had mentioned his tail, then someone had mentioned bathing suits and swimming. "Are we planning on going in the ocean? Because I'm not offended by boobs, as long as you're not offended by... tails."

Charlie glanced over at River. "We could head over to the dock to ditch clothing," they suggested. "It's not well lit over there, and you could get in the water before coming back over."

Bella watched as Ash became distracted, taking her drink as she watched him head in their direction and awkwardly following him. It was one of those moments most people experienced at high school or a new job where one awkwardly stood on the outside. She was sipping her drink and trying to work out if she was actually involved or not, not wanting to speak in case she wasn't but not wanting to completely remove herself in case she was.

"Why would we leave? It's a private beach?" Danny asked with a raised brow.

Freddie let out a soft sort of chuckle, and leaned into Grace’s touch just a little. “I think that you and I may just have one another’s numbers, love,” he murmured, a gentle smile tugging at his lips, as he turned his head and brushed a kiss across her cheek, “-but I promise not to breathe a word.” A sparkle of mischief lit his eyes when he pulled back again. “And I don’t generally have to fish, no,” he told her, “-but I haven’t been told how pretty I am in at least the last half-hour or so, I like a bit of a regular top-up.”

Elena smiled at him and at Ruby who had just moved towards the fire to join them as well. "My name's Elena," she greeted him, taking a bit of cake onto her fork and licking some frosting from the side. "It is a great party. I think I like it most of the parties that I've been to, but I'm biased because it's at the beach and I just love the beach. Aren't driftwood fires so beautiful?"

Ash glanced back at Bella, noticing her hesitation. "Do you swim? Do you want to swim?"

River shook her head at Charlie's suggestion, setting her jaw with with determination. "Nah, I'll be okay. Thanks." She knew Charlie's intentions were good, and she really did appreciate it. Ash seemed excited about swimming too, so since the birthday boy was into it, it seemed like the decision was made. Hmmm, she wondered if Elena would want to swim....

"Uh yeah, I swim," Bella said. She wasn't a great swimmer but not needing to breath helped and most knew she liked the water but she also wanted Ash to have a good time and she didn't want to burden him with being her caretaker amongst the group. "I'm good though, you guys go swimming, you really don't need to leave and go to the docks if you want to be naked though. I mean yeah there are other people's beaches if you head further along this one but Jamara is pretty isolated, no one is going to see anyone."

Miguel cut the cake into small pieces before popping a piece into his mouth. He nodded in agreement. "The salt in the wood makes the fire more blue and green. It really is pretty." His eyes were on the flames, which danced in peculiar colors.

Charlie nodded, not wanting to push. If River felt comfortable with the undressing requirement in front of people, they were happy River's comfort level was going up. "I'm down whenever, especially if the birthday boy is in."

Ash hesitated. He wanted to be a good host, and he hadn't been swimming in a while. Spring was starting to come, which meant the water might just be warm enough to be tolerable, but leaving Bella by herself after all she had done felt like a dick move. "Are you sure you don't wanna come?"

Elena said "Is that what causes it? I always wondered what it was. I just always imagined it burned blue because being so long in the sea it just started to soak in the colors found there. I guess burning blue because of salt makes more sense than that though."

Ruby: "They are beautiful," Ruby nodded, taking it upon herself to sit down near the other two. She missed the beach back home, so the familiar warmth of the fire and the smell of the sea was nice. Ruby smiled over at the man as he commented on the flames. He was right. She turned back to the fire, pulling her knees up and propping her chin on them.

Ruby: EVERYONE GO SKINNY DIPPING WE'LL WATCHHH ))

Bella nodded her head, rubbing his back with a smile. "Enjoy, I'll watch and admire your tail with my delicious drink," Bellamy smiled, happy to watch Ash enjoy his other friends and join those who were clearly quite aware of one another and had a more Earthy feel to their enjoyment of it. "I haven't seen a naga swim before so it'll be interesting."

Miguel "If you think about it, it's just another way to explain the same thing," he said with a soft smile. Molly leaned her head more on his leg, letting him know that she was tired. He looked over at the new girl and smiled. "Hi, I'm Miguel." He was getting used to introducing himself a lot, that's just what happened when you moved somewhere new. But so much in one day, that's what you got when you went to a party.Ash nodded, accepting Bella's words as sincere and not the go-but-I'll-be-mad-about-it kind of vibe. He kissed her cheek and finished his drink, already starting to take off his white linen suit jacket and the pastel t-shirt underneath. "Alright, I usually get to know people a little better before I get my junk out in public, but here we go."

Bella wasn't upset, she took his kiss with a smile and leaving him with his friends, finding herself a place among the sand with her drink. If she appeared upset it wouldn't be about Ash. Likely his tail would put a perfect smile on her face.

"Ruby," she said, nodding since she was too far away to shake his hand. "Nice to meet you. And I think I like Elena's reason for the blue just as much as the science answer," she grinned. "I know you from somewhere, don't I?" Ruby asked Miguel.

River broke away from everyone, spotting Elena farther onto the beach by a fire with Ruby and someone else she didn't know. In a move only facilitated by the confidence afforded to her by her cake stunt and the fact that she was about to strip down naked (the anticipation was sort of delicious), she walked over and put a hand on Elena's shoulder gently. "A bunch of us are about to go swimming. Did you wanna join me? I mean, us?"

Danny "Damn, so you all get to be naked and I'm the idiot who actually wore boardshorts," Danny sighed, he could get naked if he felt like it but his shorts weren't exactly hiding anything but graphic details. Once he got into the water fabric would cling to everything.

Charlie laughed at Ash's unabashed remark. "Sounds like an invitation to me." Charlie started moving toward the water ad they took off their blazer, not really caring that their clothing would get wet if they moved down too far. They removed their top as well before looking back at the group. There was weird energy that Charlie would considered closer to the bedroom than to a swim.

Elena had her mouth stuffed with cake when River touched at her shoulder and introduced the prospect of some late night swimming. Even though she'd been scared to swim in the open ocean, she was fine staying close to the shoreline, and knowing others would be with her she felt it would be too much fun to miss out on. "Sure!" She said, but since her mouth was full it was a bit muffled. She swallowed her cake, licking the frosting from her lips and then handing the rest of the cake to Miguel. Elena moved to stand, brushing the sand from her dress and without a moment's hesitation she just pulled it over her head, discarding it on the sand where it landed near where Molly was laying. "Come on," Elena grabbed River by the hand and basically dragged her toward the water.

Ruby saw Charlie leave the other group of people that was across the beach and pull of their top. She found herself watching, admiring their tattoos, as much as she could see them in the semi-darkness. Ruby's own tattoo - done by Charlie - had healed well and now sat bright and colorful along her right shoulder and back. Ruby looked at Miguel as Elena got up and ran off with River. "You goin' swimmin' too?" she asked.

Miguel nodded. "I don't think it's a HIPAA violation to tell your own patient that you're their doctor, but..." His broke into a smirk. It had taken him a minute to recognize Ruby, but the name and the face together made him think of the day she came into the hospital, a little loopy from blood loss, but nothing a pint of lactated ringers couldn't fix.

Miguel watched as a gaggle of youth ran into the ocean naked. They looked like they were having fun, but it also looked like it was starting to get too late for him and his old man sensibilities.

Ash wasn't exactly shy. He didn't really so much mind other people seeing his surgery scars either. It just usually took a little while before people were comfortable with that kind of platonic intimacy. He piled his clothes up neatly, just about covering himself with his hands before he transformed, letting his long, black tail spread across the beach. "Now I know this isn't the kind of eyeful you were all hoping for, but this is how I swim. Mostly. So this is what you get."

"Honestly none of these eyefuls will do much for me, you've got parts I'm not into, they're got parts I'm into but am not the kind they'd be into so no eyefuls for me," he said, not liking the idea of sexualising someone who wouldn't approve of it. Sure, River and Charlie were attractive but Danny wasn't about to start thinking anything of that. "Just skin to water fun for you lot," Danny grinned at Ash. "I'm Danny by the way."

River felt her breath hitch at how suddenly Elena stripped her dress off, not even getting time to process it as her hand was grabbed and she was pulled toward the water. She was able to kick her shoes off before she was dragged in, and once she was about knee deep, she reclaimed her hand with a joyful laugh and started unbuttoning her shirt, throwing it and her pants behind her on the beach. The only reason she wasn't being as bashful as usual was the presence of so many other people doing the same. Once she was stripped down, she sank into the water a bit more, to cover herself.

"That's where I know you from..." Ruby said. "The hospital. I spend way too much time there," she blushed a bit.

Ash snickered. "We're just having fun, man. Nothing sexual about it. And I'm Ash. Nice to meet you. Usually I'm not naked when I meet someone for the first time." He laughed and slithered toward the water, way faster than he'd have been able to move with his human legs.

"How long have you been there?" Ruby asked again. "I was there for a couple of weeks about... two years ago now. ICU. Died a couple of times," she huffed, feeling suddenly melancholy. But the laughter and the movement of the others called her attention, and she smiled again. "That water is probably freezing," she laughed.

Charlie finished getting undressed and waded into the water. They went in past their waist before actually shifting. "Nice trick!" they called toward Ash. "Not all of us can do that on land." Seeing that Elena and River had moved into the water, they headed back toward the group.

Danny Heading towards the water with him Danny grinned. "I mean, less you can make it sexual," he said as he spotted Elena with River. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, knowing River had been so upset about her break up. He didn't say anything though, merely moved his eyes between Elena and Ash. "All good, you've got like a model face, you being naked is like art in life or whatever, where people do art in like...places," Danny said, not totally smart enough to be talking about what he was. "Happy Birthday too."

Miguel shrugged a little, but Molly had moved so she was leaning on one of his arms - it was a lopsided shrug. "It'll be like that sometimes." He listened as she told him about her past experience at the hospital. "Oh I'm sorry to hear that, I haven't been there that long, only a few months." Miguel looked back at the youths and stared at the naga for a little longer than necessary. It was hard to see in the fading light, but it looked like the birthday naga had a very familiar set of scars. Nice,Miguel thought to himself. And he's so comfortable with his body... That was very nice and encouraging to see. Miguel would never be so casual about undressing in public, but it seemed like a lot of the LGBT youth were getting more and more well adjusted.

Once in the water, Elena's legs morphed together, turned gray and were replaced by her dolphin-like fin. She dipped beneath the water completely, wetting her hair and seeing more legs and also a snake tail? She swam towards them, surfacing quietly beside Danny to look at Ash. "I've never seen a naga in the ocean before," she stated with a smile, casually wrapping her arms around Danny's waist as her tail and depth of the water meant she could only float atop the water's surface. "You must be Ash. Happy Birthday! I tried singing along but I didn't actually know the words."

Ash openly admired Charlie once they transformed. He'd never actually seen a merm up close like this before, and he'd never seen Charlie like this. "But I bet you're better than me in the water." Elena too, for what it was worth. He smiled at Danny, playfully flattered. "Did you just call me a model? Well, this might just turn sexual after all."

Ruby merely hummed in answer. She didn't mention that sort of thing often, especially at such a happy occasion. So she let it pass. She watched the people in the water for a bit longer, and almost got up to go over. But it was warm here by the fire, and Ruby was enjoying watching more than anything.

"Love, you're gonna pull my shorts down," Danny joked, knowing that with everyone else naked his shorts were sort of silly and hoping that she'd get that he was merely teasing her by the lightness of his words. "Neither," he agreed with her though, laughing that she didn't know the happy birthday words, sinking down into the water until her arms were around his neck, standing so her own tail was on display in the shallow area. "She is dynamite in the water mate, swam from some fucking nasty things in there when those creatures got out, tough as fuckin' nails," he complimented her before winking at Ash, happy that his compliment had impressed the naga.

Charlie swam up to tread water next to Danny and Elena. They smiled at both, laughing a little as they thought about the last time they'd ended up swimming with Elena. It had ended up with a nice conversation in mermish that they didn't get to speak in often enough. But surrounded by everyone else, they figured English was best. "How's swimming with two appendages instead of one?" they teased Danny. It was the kind of get together Charlie didn't do very often, and they intended to enjoy it.

River watched as Charlie and Elena shifted their legs, and thought about shifting herself as well. But if she did, she wouldn't be able to talk to anyone anymore. She didn't know if that was a pro or a con at the moment. She dove under the water with Elena, following her over to the group. She went over to between Ash and Charlie, putting her arms around the two. Her chest was tight with subconscious embarrassment from being naked, but she knew nobody in this group was going to judge her, and being on a private beach far enough away from the rest of the party now helped a lot. River listened to Danny complimenting Elena and felt herself smiling like an idiot.

Danny frowned at Charlie, seeming to be confused. "But...I have three appendages?" he responded quizzically before grinning with laughter. One of the few dick jokes he felt was not too offensive to make amongst present company.

Charlie raised an eyebrow and frowned at Danny as River swam up. They returned an arm around the waist without really thinking about it. "That was bad, dude. I think we should all pretend you didn't make that joke."

Elena glanced between Charlie and Danny after his comment and she returned with, "But landfolk have four. Two legs and two arms."

River chuckled. "He's talking about his dick," she explained. She felt comforted by Charlie's arm around her waist. It helped steady her nerves, seeing as the two of them had swam together before. It was almost like a weird kinship.

Ash burst into laughter, lightly splashing Danny with his hands. "But of course the only cis guy in the water's gotta make the dick jokes."

Charlie "I wasn't counting arms," Charlie said. "I ignored them for the sake of a joke, but I should have known better. Instead I just set him up for the awful one he made back.

Danny swayed Elena so her tail moved in the water. "Yup, we have four," Danny agreed, nodding at Charlie with a little laugh, happy to encourage Elena if it made his own bad joke fall away. "Clearly I'm feeling very insecure amongst you all, so beautiful and naked," he said back to Ash, egging his ego on as he often did most everyone. "Let's head deeper," Danny said, pulling Elena through the water until it was up to his chest, and in turn her own, looking back at the others. He hoped this wasn't to far for her, not wanting to make her fearful in front of the others. "Exactly, you set this up, mate," he called to Charlie.

Ruby bid goodnight to Miguel as he rose to go home, and downned the rest of her drink. The laughter from the water kept pulling her attention, but Ruby felt a bit like an outsider wondering if she could come play. Finally, realizing she was either going to go in thewater or go home, she got up and padded over, heels held in her hands. "Is it cold?" she asked as she got close enough.

Charlie was about to counter Danny's comment when they heard Ruby call. "Not super cold," they said, "but Danny's probably the best indicator for what you can handle. I don't notice it much."

Ash lifted his head, turning his gaze toward the shore as Ruby came closer. "Ruby! Hey!" He waved her towards the water. "It's not too cold. Come on in. I haven't seen you all night. Last time we met, I at least had the decency to go in the bathroom before I took off my pants."

Elena found that landfolk humor often times went over her head. She'd lived under the sea for so much of her life and was still just getting a grasp on their sense of humor. She kept her arms wrapped around Danny's neck lightly as he started to pull her deeper into the water. The waters were pretty still, and so far they hadn't gone too deep to cause her any anxiety.

Danny hadn't ever seen a picture of Freddie's ex but when Ash said her name Danny knew who it was. He didn't need to be rude, he wasn't that kind of guy so he smiled. "It's alright, bit nippy, maybe cross your hands over your chest at first, love," he told called out to her, still swaying Elena from one side to the other.

Ruby hadn't met Danny, but figured he was guy swimming with Elena, since he was the only unfamiliar face. "Fine, fine..." she called to Ash after nodding to Charlie about the temperature. "Hold your horses." But she was grinning now. After just a moment of hesitation, Ruby stripped off her clothes and waded out into the water. "Holy shit that's cold! You're all a buncha liars!" she laughed, splashing water towards Charlie and Ash.

Ash laughed, swimming toward Ruby and curling his tail around her waist. "Better?"

Charlie slid to duck away from the splashed water. "You did get your info from a bunch of seafood." And Danny, but they didn't want to single him out again. "You should have known to keep that grain of salt with it."

Danny: "Women are naturally colder than men...probably should have considered that," Danny said, scrunching up his face. His Mum had told him that it was to prepare for childbirth, and it was why women suddenly felt crazy hot when they hit menopause, their bodies were rising to the same temperature as a man's. The world made shit hard for them. Walking himself and Elena bit closer to the group he got a better look at Freddie's ex, she had the same dark hair as him. "Sorry about that, love," he said kindly, leaning his head to one side. "Have you met my backpack?"

Elena laughed at Charlie's words, especially the part about the grain of salt, because the ocean was full of salt. That was a joke she could get behind. "Backpack? I'm not a backpack! I'm Elena and yes we've met a few times."

Ruby: "Better," she said, reaching down to stroke over the smooth scales of Ash's tail. "And I guess that's what I get for trustin' you lot," she said to Charlie, but it was with good humor.

River was completely fine in the water, not even noticing any nippiness in the water. But the truth was she would be fine in arctic water, so she wasn't a good judge. The last time she'd seen Ruby get into the water they'd both been used in a spell to cage a Kraken, so this was a good change of pace. She was acutely aware of how quiet she was again, just observing the conversation, shrinking back from it. Detaching. The thrill of the act was starting to wear off, and she felt herself sinking back into the water.

"You're not my backpack?" Danny asked Elena, turning back to look at her. "I should take you off then?" he asked, shaking her more vigorously than he had been before.

Ash giggled as Ruby stroked his tail. "See, if you take me home it's like having a pet lizard and a boyfriend all wrapped up in one."

Ruby stroked Ash's tail again. "Who said I wanted a boyfriend?" she teased.

Ash laughed, playfully squeezing her a bit tighter. "Touche."

"Though you can come home with me if you like..." Ruby continued.

Elena laughed and held onto him tighter, "No! I'm not a backpack. I'm lichen!" His shaking caused the water to splash roughly around her tail.

"Oh no, lichen, that is probably poisonous, I don't know, sounds dangerous" Danny said, falling backwards into the water, knowing that pushing her under couldn't possible go wrong, it wasn't like she couldn't breath under the water.

Charlie laughed as they watched the relationships around them unfold. It was endearing to see people interact. Noticing that River wasn't saying much, Charlie turned toward her. "Enjoying the water?"

Ash winked at her, uncurling from her and stretching out in the water again. "See, Riv? We joked about being each other's wing-man tonight and look what happens? I go months without any offers, to multiple offers in one night."

River snapped her head toward Charlie when she heard them speak, not really expecting anyone to address her. "Oh, uh, yeah. I was starting to overheat on the beach, actually. This is nice." She smiled at Danny and Elena playing around, flinching a little when Danny fell backwards into the water with the two of them. Everybody interacting made her feel a little jealous. She wished she knew how to be that comfortable in a group. Ash's words were bittersweet to her, but she smiled wide at him anyway. "I don't think you need me on that front," she said with a smirk.

Elena The water splashed over her and she was submerged with a laugh. Her tail flailed in the water and she released her hold on Danny's neck. She pinched his butt and swam away with a gurgling laugh, moving through the water towards the others in the group. She surfaced, squirting water from her mouth out and aiming it at River, feeling in a very playful mood now.

"You don't have to if you've got previous offers," Ruby smiled, treading water a bit as Ash untangled himself. "I haven't had an offer in six months or more, so welcome to the club."

Danny "Oi," he said when she felt her pinch his butt. "That's not paying fair, little lichen," he said, though laughing as he watched her squirt River in the mouth with water.

Ash gave Ruby a smile. They'd both been in a pretty weird situation together and come out on the other side. That made him trust her. A different feeling than what Ephram had stirred up in him, but equally nice. "Everyone wants a piece of the birthday boy. What can I say?" He shrugged. "I'm just teasing. I don't know what's gonna happen. The other person is a little pre-occupied right now. They have my number." Not that it would do any good when his phone was over there on the beach.

Charlie swam back as Danny and Elena splashed about. "Glad you're feeling better now then. Was it just being out in the heat for a while?" They could understand River's dilemma, although they didn't deal with temperature weirdness very often. It had happened before, and they were sure it would happen again. Charlie also tried not to look like they were listening in on Ash's conversation. It certainly seemed like he was a popular dude tonight.

"I'm up for a threesome," Ruby told him, almost completely serious. If the third was Ephram , though could be awkward. But otherwise... Ruby was up for some fun.

Ash laughed so hard be practically snorted, but it wasn't unkind, just shocked. He draped an arm around Ruby's shoulder. "Pssh, in that case, say no more."

River nodded. "Yeah. The heat spell on the beach was killing me." She tried to shield her face when Elena suddenly squirted water at her, and she let out a giggle. River didn't giggle, so it was a rare sound to hear. She responded with a splash, then aimed a splash at Charlie, letting out a more deep, River like laugh.

Ruby looped an arm around his waist, feeling the place around his waist where skin turned to scales. "Who's your third party, hm? Anybody I know?"

Ash had just been playing. Not entirely not-serious, but not serious-serious. Unless Ruby was really up for it. He revelled in the attention, probably more so than he should have. "Well, I haven't exactly asked him what he's in for, but I met him at the bar. Name's Ephram."

Danny could hear the conversations around him and watched River giggled, he focused on that, what Freddie's ex got up to wasn't any of his business and he focused on tuning it out. He wasn't a gossip, this was her business. "You have lichen poisoning now, River," Danny informed her with a smirk.

Ruby nearly choked on a mouthful of water as Ash named off Ephram. "Why does that not surprise me?" she laughed, coughing a bit. "I'm afraid that threesome's not gonna happen, hon. Ephram's my ex-husband. Could be awkward.But... Ephram in's for pretty much anythin'. So if you take him up on it, it'll be a good time."

Elena didn't shield herself from the splash, but let the water hit her, she was already thoroughly drenched so being splashed was nothing but fun and she splashed back at River. "Lichen isn't poisonous!" She dipped her mouth into the water and squirted some at Danny too.

Charlie "Hey!" Charlie protested, putting their hands up to defend themself before giving in to splash back. "I don't see how I did anything to deserve that." Realizing that their hands made a puny splash, Charlie slid around and dipped slightly below the water in order to get their tail up high enough to slap it down and send a small wave of water in River's direction.

Ash just stared at her for a moment before laughing again. "Well, my goodness, apparently I sure know how to pick 'em, don't I?" The benefits of a small town, he supposed. "Well, I'm just here to have a good time, not get in the middle of anything, but like I said... who knows what'll happen?" He swam back just far enough to give her a little splash, joining in on the fun.

River giggled again, feeling herself blush as she made the noise. "I'm poisoned? I need an antidote!" she play acted, her voice slightly dramatic and teasing. Then Charlie splashed her with their tail. "Hey! No fair!" she protested.

"Ain't nothin' to get in the middle of," Ruby assured him. "We're on good terms. I just don't think either of us wants to have sex with the other right now." She splashed him back, squealing a bit as water flew everywhere.

"Would you really tell us if you were trying to poison us?" Danny asked Elena, watching as Charlie protested the splashing that was happening. "Oh no," he let out as River worried of poison. "We are not going to the hospital again."

Elena protested again, "Lichen aren't poisonous! They're harmless and live on rocks and things!" She swam around, splashing with her tail and squirting water at them when they weren't looking.

River continued to splash fight with Elena and the rest, finding herself close to her after a bit. Instead of splashing her again, River put a hand on her arm, sliding it up to her shoulder. "What are you doing after this?" she said, the words spilling out of her mouth like a waterfall. She'd picked up on the directness of Ash and Ruby's conversation, and decided to take a page out of their book.

"I could see you living on a rock, all wet and sandy and -," he stopped, because sad Elena wasn't something other people had seen. Beautiful crying Elena on a rock mourning wasn't an image quite so recogniseable. "You know...naked," Danny instead said. "I wish there were caves around here, stupid fancy people beach."

Charlie let out a laugh at Danny's comment. "That is the nature state to be on a rock," they said. Treading casually for a moment, Charlie glanced around, but they were far enough from their usually haunts that they weren't sure where the closest caves were. "Might be out of luck on that one." They purposefully ignored River's comment, keeping their attention solely focused on Danny to give the illusion of privacy.

Danny "I think I could be quite beautiful, just naked on a rock, covered in water. Though I might get mistaken for like a werebear trapped on a rock with all of this," he said, running over the thick hair on his chest that was knotting together because of water.

Charlie shrugged, her shoulders dipping slightly higher above the water. "There would probably be worse sights. And hey, insulation. Hair is a very important part of life above sea." Below it got a little tangled, but they were trying to be encouraging. "Do you have a particular pose you'll strike? Disney or pinup?"

Elena shrugged her shoulders beneath the water, languidly rolling over to her side, "I don't know. Probably something, but I never really know until I'm doing it. Why? Are you doing something fun?"

Danny "I wouldn't be sure of either, you should show me some perfect mer-poses, though Ash is the model here, I've already decided as much so perhaps I'll need his help," Danny teased, looking over to the man and the woman he had been flirting with before turning back to Charlie. "He might be too busy though."

River 's shoulders slumped slightly. It was clear Elena hadn't picked up on the insinuation. A lot of options of what to say were still vague and awkward, so she opted for the direct, if not slightly lame, response. "I mean, hopefully you?" She felt a knot form in her stomach. This was so not her. What was she doing??

Danny heard River and held back a laugh, focusing so very hard on Charlie and their tail, trying to count the scales on it. It was direct but just cheesey, which admittedly Danny loved. Didn't mean it wasn't funny. Eventually he just moved closer to Charlie. "I think I need some poses now."

Elena laughed lightly, not in a teasing way but in a genuinely amused and flattered way. "Well, you're not wrong there. I am fun. In fact," and she moved towards River in the water slowly, "I can be very fun."

Charlie glanced over in River and Elena's direction and nodded. "I think that would be a great idea." They grabbed Danny's arm and pulled him away from the potentially lucky selkie. "Would it be easier to post back up by shore?"

Danny wasn't going to go too far, with how River had been and how Elena was he was cautious but Elena deserved her fun and so long as no one was upsetting her he didn't feel like he was breaking any of the promises he'd made her. "Yeah, lets head to the sand, keep your tail on though, I can't be a lichen without the perfect imagry," he said. Plus he liked their tail, it was really quite breath taking. Different to Elena's by a mile but amazing on it's own.

River felt the knot in her stomach tighten as Elena moved toward her, but her hands naturally found themselves on her hips, feeling the blend of skin and tail there. "I don't doubt that," she said in a low voice, finding it easier to speak now that the first hurdle had been jumped over.

Charlie nodded and began swimming up. The sand didn't irritate their tail much to rub together as long as their was still watcher to help sooth the microscopic cuts. "Do you have a particular pose in mind to be the perfect lichen? It seems like the kind of thing one might just flop on their back for, but I bet you could be more elegant if you wanted."

Dani had arrived late. Fashionably late - or so they liked to think. Their black suit wasn't very aligned with the theme, but they walked over with confidence nonetheless. What they hadn't expected to find was a group of partygoers in the water with an apparent lack of clothing. The nudity itself didn't bother them in the slightest, but the scene certainly cued a bit of awkwardness from their position on the beach. "You know," they called out towards the water, loosening tie slightly, "when I was told there was a theme, I didn't expect nudity to be a part of it."

Danny "Me? Elegant?" he asked, laying down on the ground beside his friend. They were so chill, Charlie was much cooler than him and it was nice she was keeping him company while the others flirted. "You think very highly of me," Danny grinned, laying back and making a starfish position. "Is this good?"

Charlie nodded with a smile. "It's great." They looked up at the yell to see someone they didn't recognize walking toward them in a full suit and not the kind Danny had inquired about earlier. "It is a beach party, after all," they called back. They leaned over to poke Danny's belly. "This is where your face would be if you were a real starfish. I think it works better where it is, though."

Danny "My abs are definitely better looking than my face," he laughed, looking over at the new arrival. He recognised them from Halloween, obviously they were party acquaintances.

Charlie laughed at Danny again before motioning to the person on shore. "You should come in," they said. "I mean I could come to you, but my clothing is way over there. Depending on your preferences, that could be a weird first conversation.

Elena raised herself out of the water a bit, just enough so she could rest her hands on River's shoulders, pulling the other towards her to press a kiss against her lips. "Come on then. I've had my drinks, I've had cake, and now I'll have you." She fully intended on taking River back to her room at the hotel, figuring it'd be more than fine since now that Tuah was back, Iann would likely stay with him.

Dani blinked out at the person in the water and couldn't resist the slightest laugh. "My preferences are fairly open, but seeing as all the fun is out there, I suppose I can't refuse." After walking over to a table, they began to strip their clothes, folding them neatly but leaving their boxers on their person. They would have had no issue with stripping completely if they hadn't had a husband to consider. A minute later, they were stepping into the water, shivering briefly as they adjusted to the cold. "So, what have you all been up to then? Seems like I missed the bulk of the fun already."

Charlie glanced back out at the water, amused to see how well River and Elena seemed to be getting on. Once Dani joined the water, Charlie held up a hand in greeting. "There's been the promise of tomfoolery, but not that much in public eyes, so I'm sure that's a record for a beach party. "Ash is probably still around here somewhere if you try to find him later. The rest of us are mostly just floating."

Dani chuckled at Charlie's answer. "Yeah, these things usually get pretty wild. Probably best we haven't gone too crazy. Yet." At the mention of Ash, they nodded. "I'm sure I'll run into him at some point."

Ciara hadn't joined in with the water play for a number of reasons, in no small part because those that had were very young and while she was working on it, her body still looked weakened from her fight in January. Instead, she was enjoying the warmth of the fire, and watching the full moon ripple on the water. Blue moon, she thought idly. The vastness of the ocean was something she'd never get over, having so far from any sea for most of her life. Entrancing, magic in its own right. As she watched, she idly played with the blood in an abandoned glass nearby, making it dance and twist to the rhythm of the music still beating through the sand.

Ash had fun splashing around with everyone, and it seemed River was making some progress on her getting over Rye plan too. After a little while splashing around, he decided to get out of the water and go talk to some of the people who might not have been as comfortable stripping down and swimming around. He kept his tail out, draping a towel around his shoulders and drying himself off. He wasn't looking for anyone in particular when he spotted Maya nearby, and someone he could only assume was a witch twirling around blood in her glass wordlessly. "Oh, cool trick."

Maya had decided against getting in the water. She told herself it was because it was too cold, which it was, but she knew that it had more to do with her general discomfort in crowds. Things in Soapberry, the something like family she was finding here, felt too good to be true. And then of course there were things with River. Instead Maya sat by a small bonfire, giving Ash a smile as he emerged from the water.

Seeing as everyone was getting out little by little, Ruby let herself float a bit more, lying on her back and watching the full moon up above. It was so big and so bright, it was nearly hypnotizing. But Ruby knew better than to let herself become too distracted in the water, so eventually she turned and waded back to the shore, snagged a towel and wrapped it around herself before grabbing her clothes and moving back to the fire. She plopped down next to someone already sitting there, careful not to jostle them, and pulled her dripping hair over her shoulder. She squeezed it out and ran her fingers through it so it could start to dry. "I can't tell you the last time I did that..." she said idly to whoever might be listening.

Ciara looked up as she spotted the guy Iann had pointed out earlier with Ephram and smiled up at him, then her eyes slid down his tail, momentarily amazed. She'd seen naga tail sheddings, and a naga with a tail from afar, but this was different altogether. "Thanks. You're the birthday boy, right? Ash? I'm Ciara." She glanced to where he had looked before, the young woman who had made the cake, nodding a small greeting there, too. The blood crystallised into a dozen pieces that spun and rotated before returning to their normal crystal state. "Seemed a shame to let it go to waste - ferret blood is such a little more unusual than most at these kinds of places."

Maya glanced up as someone sat next to her. After half a second she recognized Ruby, who she had met on New Years. "Last time I did that one of the guys thought it would be real funny to steal my clothes," she replied, "So you know, I kicked his ass."

Ruby snorted at Maya's comment. "Did he fall in love or learn a lesson?" she asked, adjusting the towel around her so it didn't slip.

Maya shrugged, "Little of both I think." She took a sip from her drink, watching the waves and the people still in them. With the sun down it should've been cold, but someone had arranged for magical heat lamps for the beach.

Ash shook his head. "Stealing clothes is no fun. We're all about consent here, and stealing clothes means you can't consent to, you know, not be naked any more." He gave an endearing chuckle. "Remind me never to get on the wrong side of you." He turned his attention to Ciara. "Ash. That's me! Ferret blood is delicious. I'm partial to rabbit myself though. Can you do anything else with it?" He asked questions with the wide-eyed nature of a child in science class.

Ruby hummed. "As it should be." She watched the flames for a moment, letting the easy feeling of being slightly drunk settle over her. She wasn't wasted like she had been at New Year's, merely pleasantly buzzed. Looking over at the woman Ash was talking to, Ruby grinned to herself. Though it turned into a slight grimace at the talk of blood. But to each his own. "Haven't seen you around," Ruby said to Maya. "You been okay?"

Maya "Yeah, he didn't get invited out with us much after that," Maya replied to Ash. Of all the things that had happened to her though that incident didn't rank even in the top 100. "Um..." she turned to Ruby. Had she been okay? Well, not entirely given everything with Shaw and its still lingering effects. But this was Ash's birthday party, not her pity party. "Yeah, I've been alright," she said, "I've been working a lot and some stuff came up I had to deal with." Maya shrugged and hoped no one would ask anything else about it.

Ciara glanced at Maya with a smirk on her lips. "He had it coming." Ciara wasn't much one for physical violence, when magical violence came so naturally, but she could respect it in anyone. She looked back at their apparent host with a smirk on her lips. "Can I do anything else with it?" She repeated in amusement, a glint in her eye. She hadn't had much, but enough of the buzz had rubbed off on her that she was more than happy to show off. The blood congregated into one large droplet that rippled above the palm of her hand. It shimmered briefly before she dropped it into a new cup and floated the cup to his hand. "Given it's your birthday. Go on, give it a taste. I promise it's not poison." There was a little danger in the smile on her lips, a little challenge too, but then, there often was.

Ash gave Maya a sympathetic but casual look. He wasn't usually the overbearing sort when it came to his friends. He figured if they needed him, they'd ask. "Well that sucks. I hope it gets better soon. At least for tonight you can distract yourself, huh?" There was enough alcohol, cigars and beautiful people around for that. He cocked his head at Ciara's offer, edging closer and holding the cup she'd magically placed in his hand. Man, he loved witches. "Well, I've put worse things in my mouth," he said with a wink, downing the blood without a moments hesitation. "Oh! That's... it's just like rabbit blood, so fresh!"

Ruby nodded as Maya answered, but didn't press. She was glad to hear that Maya was doing okay, despite working so much. Ruby had her own 'stuff' going on, but didn't care to think about itmuch tonight. She'd much rather sit here and admire all the pretty people and soak up the general feeling of happiness that floated around. She turned to watch what what Ciara and Ash were doing. "I love magic sometimes," Ruby murmured. "Sorry for earlier, by the way," she said over at Ciara. "It was completely rude of me to get so distracted..."

Maya waved off Ash's concern, "Don't worry about it. It's all settled. Anyway you're right, it's your birthday. There's cake, there's booze and I'm pretty sure you're monopolizing all the pretty people at this party, but I can forgive you for that." She did spare a thought to Ryden, almost wishing he were here but quickly deciding she wouldn't hold his attention anyway. Maya was content to sit and soak in the company for as long as it lasted.

Ash held up his hands with a faux innocence. "Hey, I'm not Monopolizing anyone. There's plenty of pretty people to go around."

Ruby grinned. "It is his birthday... so he can have a pass for tonight I guess."

Ciara watched his reaction with a knowing amusement. It was one of her most common party tricks, and usually impressed anyone who drank blood. She couldn't shift something into the taste of something she'd never experienced for herself, but she'd had a fair amount of practice with most common animals by now. most common blood types, too. "Anything else you want to try? You are the man of the hour, after all, and I didn't bring any other gift." She looked back over at Ruby, and smiled at that pretty southern twang. "Don't worry about it. Besides, he was very distracting looking." And vaguely familiar.

Maya laughed, "I said I forgive him for it." She wasn't looking for that out of this party anyway. With Soapberry becoming something like home and its residents becoming her friends and something like family she didn't feel the same need for closeness in that manner.

"He's a good friend that's been gone for awhile," Ruby said. "Seein' him was... unexpected." But good. She wondered how Iann had reacted. Not well, if she knew him at all (which admittedly she really didn't).

Ash: "Oh, come on now. Y'all are gonna make me blush." And Ash didn't blush easily. He wanted attention. Sometimes he craved it, but tonight was more than he ever could have expected. Flirting and kidding around was all well and good, but there was also a sincerity to the whole thing too. It was nice, if a little overwhelming. "Honey," he said to Ciara, "I'm from New Orleans. We've got witches all over the place, but you might just be the most fascinating one I've ever seen."

Ruby smiled back at Maya. "Alright, alright... point taken," she laughed as well. Ruby felt almost the exact opposite of Maya lately. She'd been in town for over two years, and had never really been bereft of affection. Until recently. Recently it had been pretty much nonexistant, and if Ruby was honest, she was lonely. But she would never press anyone into spending time with her. That was utterly beside the point. So if companionship like this was all that would come from tonight, Ruby would take it. And be happy.

Maya laughed again before faking offense, "Now that is going to take a little more to forgive. Most fascinating witch you've ever seen, I made you cake." She smiled immediately afterward making clear she didn't actually mean it.

Ash draped an arm around Maya's shoulder. "You're my favorite baker if that helps." He smiled. "Just kidding. There's room for everyone. I can appreciate both cake and blood in equal measure."

Maya didn't flinch this time when Ash wrapped an arm around her given that she knew it was him. "I suppose I can live with that," she replied smiling. In truth she didn't think of herself as particularly interesting when it came to her magic. Circumstances had meant she didn't explore it much after the loss of her parents. What she could do now was mostly what she had learned before the age of eight, augmented with a few experiments here and there.

"All the more reason to get distracted," Ciara replied to Ruby, smiling warmly. She really didn't mind, and was oddly glad her magic tricks hadn't scared the human away. Looking back to Ash, she cocked an eyebrow. "I'd have introduced myself earlier if I'd known the host was so interesting himself," she replied smoothly, but Maya's retort caught her ear and she looked over, curious. "I should have known. That cake was magical in its own right," she complimented.

"And more with the flattery. If that cake doesn't give me a cavity, all this sweetness will." Ash was going to need to give River and Bella a proper thank you for this. The whole thing had been amazing. Many of the guests he'd never met before tonight, but he was definitely glad to know them now. "So you do blood magic. That's pretty rare, right? That'd explain why I hardly know anything about it. Does Naga blood do anything cool? I mean, I've got plenty," he half-joked, practically offering her his wrist.

Maya shook her head, "Well, it technically wasn't this time actually. I was short on time and had to do some building too. Plus I like to warn people before they end up under the influence and that's a bit hard at a party like this."

"True," Ruby replied to Ciara. "Though his boyfriend might kill him before I get to see him again..." She was kidding. Mostly. But who knew how Iann would react to Tuah's return. Hopefully with lots of makeup sex.

Ciara: "I didn't mean that kind of magic," Ciara replied to Maya truthfully. She was trying to be careful about what magic she let near her for that reason, but the cake had been excellent regardless. "It is," Ciara confirmed as his drink shimmered again in his hand, "But then, so are naga. I've never used any, myself," she eyed his wrist as he offered it, but shook her head lightly. "I know it makes for powerful speed and agility potions, for making someone silver tongued and sly. But it depends on the person it comes from. What kind of person they are, what they believe, what they desire." She didn't break eye contact with him as she spoke, hardly even blinking. People were always curious about this, and she was always happy to answer.

Ash was blissfully ignorant about who this Tuah person was, and was thankfully ignorant about the fact they were talking about Iann's sex life. He raised his glass to the stranger who had come home to his boyfriend and hoped they had a good time. Ciara was effortlessly charming and fascinating, happy to talk about her magic, which meant Ash was happy to listen. And happy to experiment, if the situation called for it. "Maybe some other time then," he chuckled, withdrawing his hand again. "I'd say I'm definitely silver tongued. Not sly. Honest. Fast and agile? Definitely. Ruby can vouch for me. Just a few days ago we had to run away from someone tryna eat our brains! Soapberry is so weird sometimes."

"It's true," Ruby said to Ash's comment. "He's hella fast. And we've both still got our brains. Mostly," she grinned.

Ephram had been obliged to go somewhere quieter and talk to dispatch at the station about various boring things he should have taken care of beforehand, so really he had nobody to blame but himself. Making his way back to the bonfire, he noticed that the folks had mixed around somewhat but that didn't stop him from joining them. "Still sulking?" he teased Maya, dropping down cross-legged next to her. "The cake was real pretty -- I ain't had none of the eating one yet, it's like to be done now, huh?"

Maya turned as Ephram sat down next to her. "I was not sulking," she protested although to be fair she sort of had been, "A little confused initially, but not sulking." She gave him a smile. "And thanks, there might be some left, but I can't guarantee it didn't get sand in it from wheeling it down."

Ash chuckled. "Well, as much brain and heart as before." As Ephram came over, he commanded attention. Even if Ash hadn't been flirting with him earlier, Ash got the impression he still would've. Ephram was just that type of person, with that type of aura. "Hey," he greeted with a nod. "What'd I tell ya? I'm being charming."

"Whaaaaaat, you got no experience catering a beach birthday?" Ephram shook his head in mock disappointment. "And here I was thinkin' that woulda been a regular occurrence for you." He looked up at Ash's greeting, giving him a wolfish, hungry grin. "Darlin," he said, "you ain't tellin' me nothin I din't figure out already."

Maya laughed, "I'm more not used to baking cakes people jump out of at beach parties." She also didn't cater really. Mostly she kept to the kitchen, preferring to be away from the eyes of everyone.

Ciara tilted her head in surprise. The things she had seen in this town made nothing else compared. Her eyes moved from Ash to Ruby with a smile on her lips. "I'm relieved to hear that, you're both much prettier with your skull in tact." She stood up a moment later, as Ephram was settling in, holding up her drink. "I'm getting myself another drink, can I get anyone else one?" She asked the group.

Ephram took a surreptitious glance at Ciara, not having expected to see her ... well, socializing. He liked the look of it, though. Nudging Maya, he said, "Maybe you should consider it, girl! You could have a profitable future in the empty-cake business. I mean a naga would fit in one real nice." Ciara got up, and Ephram hurriedly said, "I could use a drink," just in case it seemed like he was ignoring her. A little bit avoiding, maybe, but not ignoring.

Ash admired his glass, just a tad too empty. "Sure. I'll take another one." Pretty. She called him pretty. It really shouldn't have surprised him at this point. He had been quite the hit with the older men and women at the party, and now he was literally standing in the middle of two of them. "I hope you didn't lose my number," he teased to Ephram (who he'd also noted with a twinge in his stomach, had called him darling). "Because I might've met someone else." He ran his fingertips over Ruby's back with a harmless grin.

Maya almost said that she was thinking of opening her own bakery. She had long ago learned to be careful with dreams though. They so rarely came true. There was a moment where her expression softened and she looked almost nervous at Ephram's suggestion. Luckily before it could go on too long the witch, who's name Maya didn't think she'd caught, was asking if anyone wanted to another drink. She looked up and said, "I'd love one if you've got an extra hand."

Ruby had just come back from putting her clothes back on, and stepped up beside Ash. The naga ran his fingers over her back. “Well, I’m not one to break up a done deal,” she grinned, waving warmly at Ephram.

Ephram grinned at Ruby, leaning over to hug her briefly. "You of all people should know how fast I work, woman," he said, putting his hand over Ash's against Ruby's back, folding the naga's fingers into his palm. "And I got no intention of lettin' this one finish his birthday without gettin' /my/ number."

“That I do,” Ruby said, hugging Ephram back. “I told you you’d have a good time,” she stage-whispered to Ash.

Ash was definitely not going to blush. Nope. It wasn't going to happen, he told himself. Enough alcohol and good cheer had left him loose-lipped and loose-tongued, and he was just going with it. "Hey, I got enough room in my phone for everyone's numbers, and enough room in my bed for... well, at least three of you, but one at a time, huh?" At least there wasn't any awkwardness between Ruby and Ephram. She'd been right when she'd said they were on good terms.

Maya rolled her eyes with no malice behind it. "You all are going to at least let me get out of the middle of this sandwich before you start making out again, right?" she said because somehow she'd ended up between Ash and Ephram. "Because it'll be as awkward now as it was when I got roped into Spin the Bottle in high school. Even if everyone here is prettier."

Ephram gave an impressed whistle at Ash's comment, laughing, "One at a time sound a good way to start, although now I'm curious bout just how big this bed is." He groaned at Maya's complaints, wrapping his arms around her and planting a smacking kiss on the side of her head. "Nope," he said with satisfaction. "It's your fate to be peanut butter'n jelly, sorry."

Dani fixed their tie as they approached the group, sporting a grin at the familiar faces. “What’s this then? You all look awfully cozy. Have I been missing all the fun?”

Ash chuckled playfully at Dani's arrival. "Finally, someone who doesn't wanna sleep with me."

Ephram glanced back at the bar as Dani arrived, wondering if Ciara had decided to slip away when she got the opportunity. The thought made his stomach sink for a moment, but he didn't get up and go to the bar the way he wanted to. Instead he chortled at Ash's comment, remarking, "You must know that struggle too, huh Dani?"

Maya had to laugh as Ephram insisted on wrapping his arms around her, keeping her in place at least for the moment. "Ewwww, cooties," she complained and screwed up her face in over-exaggerated disgust. Opening her eyes again, and expression falling into a smile, she saw Dani standing above them. "Hey," she greeted Dani before asking, "Didn't someone say they were getting more booze?"

Ciara caught Ephram's look, a small twitch in the corner of her mouth. He wasn't the only one who was doing a little bit of avoiding. "Sure thing." None of them specified, and when Maya commented if she could hold them all she grinned. "I used to bartend, carrying many drinks is easy." When she returned, the four of them had suddenly gotten a whole lot more tangled up in eachother, with Ruby and Maya in the middle of it all. Unsurprised despite herself. She slid back down into kneeling on the far side of Ash from the touching pile, the skirt of her dress riding up a little again, putting the relevant drink in front of each party, Ash's infused with real rabbit's blood. She flashed a smile at the newcomer, Dani, recognising them from the other night.

Dani Smirking at Ash’s welcome, Dani stepped up and placed a kiss on each of his cheeks in greetings. “Not that I find you any less attractive, love. Happy birthday. And apologies I haven’t quite fit your theme,” they said glancing down at their suit, “but I hope you’ll understand, it wasn’t my style in the slightest.” Then, turning to Ephram, they shrugged, amused. “More or less.” They waved to Maya and Ciara as well. “Hey to you too.”

"Thank you, darlin'," Ash said, greeting Ciara at her return with a nod and a smile. "Well, I appreciate you anyway," he said to Dani, kissing their cheeks in return. "And no need to apologize. I wouldn't want anyone to dress in anything they weren't comfortable in. The theme was just for a bit of fun, and feeling self conscious all night ain't fun, is it?"

Dani smiled at Ash, nodding. “You’re absolutely right about that.” After a glance at the bar, they added. “I think I’m going to grab myself and drink and then join you lot.” They winked. “Sit tight.”

Ephram rubbed his nose against Maya's shoulder, saying with satisfaction, "You make such a great cootie rag, though!" He let go when Ciara returned, taking his drink and watching the other witch as she re-settled into her seat, the shift of her dress along her thigh making him draw in a sharp breath and take a deep swallow of his drink.

Maya "My hero," Maya said to the returning witch as she received her drink. To Ephram she laughed and said, "Oh my god, this is exactly like high school." His sharp intake of breath didn't escape her though. Considering all the people around she didn't ask about it, but catalogued the reaction away for later.

Ash figured he wasn't the only one a little tipsy, so he really thought nothing of the intermingling that was going on. "Gosh, no. I was so unattractive in high school," Ash shuddered. Being the Jewish trans kid mid-transition definitely made even the rich, charming kid something of a social outcast.

Ruby was occupied with watching Dani walk off. She held a huge crush for them, but would never act on it considering they were married. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t look. She leaned a bit against Ephram, enjoying the warmth coming from both sides of her. She glanced at Ciara too as the witch came back, smiling as she heard Ephram’s reaction. But she kept quiet, enjoying the banter and the laughter.

Ephram snorted. "I had long hair and wore church donation box clothes," he offered. "High school sucks no matter where you're at."

Maya smiled, "Oh, I was a hot fucking mess in high school. I'd 110% already be fighting or fucking someone by this point in the night. I was just talking about the whole cootie thing and how horny all of you are." She paused, glancing out over the water. "And the beach part too. We used to go down to the beach to drink a lot."

Dani nicked a bottle of vodka from the bar before returning to the group. Not wanting to break up the arrangement, they chose to plop down between Ruby and Ephram. “High school? Shit.” They took a quick swig of the alcohol. “Worst three years of my pre-adult life.”

Ash lifted his glass. "Here's to not being as big a losers as we were in high school."

Dani raised the bottle in kind. “I’ll drink to that.”

Ciara smiled at the thanks, catching Ephram's eyes when he gasped but not adjusting her skirt in either way or shifting herself to give him more to react to. There were so many reasons that was a bad idea, and her eyes slid back to the rest of the group, listening to them describing their highschool experience. It wasn't something she could relate to nor wanted to add to, having been homeschooled right up to the second she'd become homeless. When Ash raised his glass, Ciara smiled and lifted her glass too. "Me too."

Ephram had lapsed into his own thoughts for a moment, recalling being sent to prison instead of graduating and having to do his GED on the inside. So when Maya settled against him, he pulled her in a little closer and kissed her smooth brown hair before raising his drink to Ash's toast.

Ash took a healthy sized swig of his booze, mentally worshipping Ciara for infusing it with rabbits blood. "Perfect. Now, speaking of horny, what do we say to one of you takes me home tonight and the other tomorrow."

Dani took another swig from the bottle to complete the toast, savoring the burn and coming back from it with a smile. “That sounds like a fun plan. You might have to squeeze in some time for me as well. You’ll have to let me entertain you a bit as an obligatory birthday gift.”

Ephram gave a warm, low chuckle, gently letting go of Maya and getting to his feet. "Reckon that's my cue," he said, finishing off his drink and holding out a hand to Ash. "C'mon, darlin -- nobody gave you the birthday spanking yet, now did they?"

Maya burst into peals of laughter at Ash's words, which only got worse when Ephram spoke. She did miss the warmth next to her, but quickly decided the entertainment was worth it. Besides she knew better than to ask for more than she was given.

Ash was definitely blushing again. No matter how many times he'd told himself he wasn't going to. Ephram was just the type of guy that threw you for a loop. He gave an overexaggerated gasp, letting Ephram lead him to his feet and taking his hand. "Wait, who said tonight was your night, mister?"

Ruby grinned at Ash. “First come first serve,” she said to Ephram, teasingly. “Unless you got your eyes elsewhere...” Ciara was very beautiful, after all.

Dani With Ephram departed, Dani found themself leaning over slightly towards Ruby. “And what’s your plan for tonight, hm? We need to get together again, you know.”

Ash waved to Ruby with his free hand. "Well then I'll be sure to make him give me your number. Goodnight everyone."

Ephram gave Ash a self-assured laugh, pulling the slighter man close and tugging him away from the others. "Come on now, darlin," he said, "As if you'd say otherwise."

Maya , unable to help herself, wolf whistled at Ash and Ephram. It seemed like the right thing to do.

Ruby waved at Ash. “Have fun you two,” she grinned. “And yeah we need to,” she replied to Dani. “And unless you and Sam have split up, I guess I’m gonna go home alone tonight.” It was an obvious tease, but one Ruby couldn’t help making.

Ciara smiled as they left, a small knot in her stomach distangling as they did that had nothing to do with the evening and everything to do with the calming demon in her purse. She scooted a little closer to the other three, taking a deep drink for her cup. "Are you sure about that?" she asked Ruby teasingly, then looked to Maya. "I'm sorry, I never did catch your name?"

Maya turned at someone talking to her. "Maya," she replied and put out a hand for the other woman to shake, "And I don't think I caught yours either."

Ruby smiled as the pretty witch sat next to her. “You offering?”

Ciara took Maya's hand, feeling that familiar flick of witch magic at the touch. "Ciara. Do you make cakes for a lot of big events, then?" Her eyes flicked back to Ruby's with a smirk. "Depending on how you play your cards, maybe."

Maya had learned to recognize the touch of another witch. "Sometimes," she replied. It seemed that people were pairing off, leaving her alone. She didn't mind though. As long as she could sit by a fire and watch the waves surrounded by people who cared about her, but not as much as they cared about each she felt comfortable. It was actually better than the usual way her life went.

Dani Ruby’s tease prompted a slow chuckle from the professor. “I’m flattered, darling, really. But unfortunately I’m your case, we’re bound to by marriage as well as magic, so I highly doubt we’re going to breaking up anytime soon.” Dani was glad to see that Ciara had taken an interest in Ruby. She was a dear friend to Dani, and while they didn’t feel sorry for their inability to sleep with her, they did want her to enjoy herself, especially now that she was officially uncommitted.

Ciara looked at Maya. She'd seemed a little disconected to everything, had done the whole evening, from stepping away from the cake the moment she'd rolled it in to the way she'd only opened up a little with Ephram teasing, but Ciara didn't know if that was an artefact of the evening or an artefact of her personality. Besides, it was far from her place to ask. "That's fair. You have a lot of talent there." Her eyes returned to Dani, curious about the mention of magic bonds. "Is your partner a witch, then?"

Dani Dani nodded at Ciara, an irresistible smile on their face. “Yes, an earth witch. He owns Meadowsweet down in Grieselle. Technically it’s a flower shop but we have an apothecary as well.”

“A girl can dream,” Ruby told Dani. “Though I’m glad y’all are doing good.” She smirked at Ciara. “Let’s see how it goes.”

Miguel Everybody was pairing off and going home together. Which was wild to see. Miguel had slept around in college because med students tended to study hard and party hard. But it had been awhile since he was flirting with anyone very much... beside none of the people left seemed interested in him. That was okay. He would go home with Molly, his constant friend, and then wake up early and go for a jog to get out any frustration.

Milo wandered back down the beach. He'd headed back up to the parking lot for a while to check up on the kids. A couple were still at home and the rest were out with friends. When he came back, he was surprised that people had cleared out so much. He looked around to see if he knew anyone still there.

Maya had never been much for crowds. Especially after everything with Shaw they made her anxious. Growing up in a relatively small town and with a tragic story she was well used to people staring at her. One of the things she'd liked about New York was the anonymity of it all. Anonymity which wasn't possible in a town like Soapberry Springs, so Maya did her best to stay out of the spotlight. As Dani, Ciara and Ruby got to talking she turned to look around and spotted a man she'd met earlier in the night by himself. "Well," she called catching his eye, "Come sit with us. We have to replace the people we lost to horniness"

Miguel looked up and smiled. The antronach was back! “Hey Milo, welcome back.” His smile wavered a little. “Though everyone seems to be heading to bed,” he said with an inuendo in his voice.

Ciara smiled at Dani, seeing the way their face lit up. She was a romantic at heart, and loved hearing people describe their partners. "You share a business? I've heard good things about Meadowsweet." She looked at Ruby, and ran a gentle hand down her shoulder with a smile. Maya had turned to talk to someone else.

Dani shook their head with a chuckle. “We don’t really share it, no. He opened it up practically out of high school, but I help out whenever I can and retrieve some harder to find materials for the apothecary. Officially I’m a professor at the university. As I’m sure you can imagine, it’s a busy gig.”

Milo nodded knowingly. He shifted from side to side, not sure quite how to respond. "I'm sorry you got left alone in the process," he said. "Have you been keeping yourself entertained while I was gone?" His eyes roamed the other man as he considered the outcome of the night for everyone around them. It certainly seemed like it was an exciting moment for most involved. While he hadn't necessarily considered it to begin with, he wondered if tonight should hold the same for himself. "Want to grab something else to drink?"

Miguel had only two drinks so far, and one with a lot less alcohol in it. It only made his stomach feel warm and his limbs feel a little heavy. “Ah, yeah, sure if you want to,” he said with a shy smile.

The drink Ruby had had earlier was still sitting well with her. She felt light and ready to just... say fuck it and go for broke. “Anybody know any good drinking games? Are we too old for spin the bottle?” she grinned, leaning a bit into Ciara and glancing at Maya.

Milo smiled and headed toward the bar. The selection was starting to look a bit picked over. "I see rum and beer. Anything in particular you'd like, Miguel?"

Miguel had already had a beer so... “I’ll give the rum a try,” he said. He followed Milo over to the bar, leaning on it and smiling in his direction. “Since everyone else is going home and uh... kissing, would you want to go home and kiss?” His cheeks were a little pink as he said it. He wasn’t great at flirting but he could be blunt.

Milo picked up the bottle of rum and then almost dropped it. He looked back up at Miguel with wide eyes for a moment before he managed to get his composure back together. "Yeah, um... I mean, that could work." He knew he wasn't the smoothest when it came to things like this, so he hoped that would be enough. "If you don't mind, though, I might need a shot or two or this before we go." He let out a nervous laugh. "It's, ah, it's been a while."

Miguel Miguel smiled and blushed a little more. “That’s fine! That’s uh that’s great actually. I mean, it’s been awhile for me too.” He took the rum and poured a few shots for the two of them. “You’re very very handsome,” he said softly. Just in case he hadn’t made it clear how attracted he was to Milo.

Ciara listened to Dani intently, curiously. Explained their confidence with the vampire that one time. "A professor? That's very impressive. What are you professor of?" Ruby pressed close and Ciara pressed back too. "Mmm, as tempting as that sounds, I should get going soon." Ciara let her eyes slide appreciatively down Ruby's exposed legs before back up at Ruby herself. She wrapped her hand around Ruby's waist and serruptitiously tucked one of the number cards into her pocket. Ciara stood up and dusted off her legs, making sure to take her empty cups with her. "It was nice seeing the three of you. Goodnight."

Milo ducked his head, pretending he was looking at the bottle. "You're not so bad yourself," he said. Milo found a couple of shot glasses and filled them. He wasn't actually sure the last time he'd done a shot. Most of his drinking now--not that it happened that often--was a glass of something he could sip around the kids or take slow if he knew he needed to be home by a certain time. As he handed one of the shots to Miguel, he said, "Should I come home with you? Some of the kids are at home, and I don't want to put you in an awkward situation."

Miguel “Yes! Yeah,” he said immediately. He took downed a shot easily, a throwback to end school. And took one of Milo’s hands and gave it a squeeze. “We can walk to my house, it’s not far, and I don’t think either of us would be good to drive.”

Maya stood. The party had basically devolved into couples leaving just the few of them who hadn't paired off sitting around the fire. "So I'm going to head home before I'm truly the last person not getting fucked on this beach," she announced more than anything. With that she downed the rest of her drink. While she probably technically could drive she decided it would be better to get a ride. Pulling out her phone she dashed off a quick text to Fane asking him to please pick her up because 'kids were drinking here' and an amused smile to herself. Maya gave a mock salute and said, "Good luck getting lucky everyone," before walking off towards the parking lot.

“Nice meeting you too,” Ruby said to Ciara, not missing the note tucked into her pocket. She looked up as Maya walked off as well, giving her a wave that she wasn’t sure Maya saw. But realizing she was going home alone again, Ruby decided it was time. And she got up, smiling at those still left, and went home.

[onwesterlywinds]

Last Chance

"He asked for you specifically," Meffrid whispered as he led her through one of the deeper tunnels of the Reach. "Why, I don't know. He said only that he had a message for you and you alone."

The torches in the tunnels below Rhalgr's Reach gave off only barely enough light for Ashe to make her way forward, and she would have been much less confident of her progress without Meffrid as her guide. Though the Reach offered a bounty of water and greenery she had never been privileged to know in her earlier life, this part of it - most likely carved out by the Fist of Rhalgr in generations past - called the mesas of Southern Thanalan vividly to mind. If anything, that similarity to the familiar made the experience of traversing the tunnels even more disorienting. "But he didn't give his name?"

Meffrid shook his head. "He refused."

Ashe set her shoulders a little more firmly and fought back the rush of questions rising with her every heartbeat. She could think of too few individuals who would be so cryptic. She had not heard from her father all morning, and he would not have abandoned his watch of the Sandsea without a crucial reason. Hawthorne Silverbrand was all too familiar a figure to the local Resistance faction; the eccentric former Fist and former-former crime lord would hardly have required an introduction. That left few other possibilities: Abeodan, perhaps, though she supposed Meffrid would have told her instead that a boy had been arrested for asking after her, rather than a man. And Sairsel would surely have given his name, or else some other evidence as to his allegiance to his mother's faction of the Resistance, unless the tumultuous relationship between the two had at last taken its toll.

Ashe followed Meffrid to a bend in the tunnel, but the man halted his pace before they could proceed onward. He turned to face her and regarded her warmly; after a moment, he placed a hand on her shoulder and his smile widened. "By Rhalgr, Riot. I still can't believe how far you've come."

Memories arose unbidden of the moons she had spent along the edge of the South Shroud in years past, where Meffrid and his unit had eked out their meager living after the Calamity. Though she had betrayed their hospitality a thousand times over through her additional service to the Corpse Brigade, she had come to know a good many of them well and had cared for them as much as she had been able to care for anything other than herself at that point in her life. The shadows under Meffrid's eyes had darkened and his jaw was set into a permanence born from a life of sacrifice, but she saw in him the same steadfast resolution she had always known. Doubtless he could point out any number of changes in her. In acknowledgement of his praise, she nodded.

Meffrid gave her shoulder one last squeeze and lowered his hand. "Before the next skirmish," he said, "once the recruits have concluded their training, we should set aside some time to talk."

It had been too many years since she had heard from him at all, and longer still since they had spoken, but their respective responsibilities to the Resistance had granted them little means to interact. "I've brought at least one barrel of Buscarron's finest from the south. We'll toast with that."

Meffrid grinned at the prospect but said no more; he turned on his heel and went back in the direction from which they had come. Ashe rounded the corner and proceeded to the end of the passage.

A single Resistance guard stood watch over a holding cell, where a Hyuran man sat in the shadows with his back to the wall. He sprang to his feet as she approached. "Lady Riot!" he called out in an accented whisper, holding his hands beseechingly past the bars of his confinement. "Lady Riot! Thank the kami and the Twelve you've come!"

She said nothing at all to the man at first, but turned instead to the guard. "Thank you. I'd like to speak with this one alone."

"Grand Steward-"

"Thank you," she repeated.

The soldier's eyebrows, barely visible from beneath her hood, raised past the point of perception. Yet she offered no protest, and Ashe marked her retreat in the sound of her footsteps as she went around the bend in the tunnel. When at last she was alone with the prisoner, she asked, "Who are you?"

"Hirokage no Hideyama, my lady. Please, you must help-"

"Calm yourself, please." She surveyed him in the dim torchlight and took in as many details as she could: his dusty and beleaguered face, his neatly-trimmed hair, and the Garlean uniform hanging awkwardly from his shoulders. She, unlike Edge, had interacted with few Domans throughout recent years. "Your forename is... Hirokage, yes?"

The man nodded.

"I need you to explain why you called for me, Hirokage, and how you came to be here."

Hirokage took in a deep breath. "You know that the XIIth Legion have ruled Doma these past twenty-five years. With a cruelty to rival that of their reign in Ala Mhigo."

"Of course."

"A year ago, the Doman rebellion was crushed. Utterly. Yet there are still those of us who fight on. Those of us who have not forgotten the dream of our homeland's freedom."

"The Doman Liberation Front, yes."

"Forgive me for not sending this message through a linkpearl. There was no way to ensure that this message would reach you through a linkpearl. The Doman Liberation Front is in dire need of help. The Riskbreakers' help. Vegnagun... Vegnagun is nearly complete."

"'Vegnagun'?" The name pulled at the very corners of her memory.

Hirokage's voice lowered to a whisper and grew far more strained. "A weapon surpassing any seen on Hydaelyn since the fall of the Allagans. It is a cannon with the capacity to raze a city in seconds through a concentrated aetheric beam. It has been in development for nearly a generation - and production has increased tenfold following the VIth Legion's discoveries in Azys Lla."

Only then did she remember where she had previously heard "Vegnagun": she and Baithin Alberona had met after he had uncovered a XIVth Legion file bearing that name, with designs and concepts for a cannon of massive proportions. That had been years ago, well before the Riskbreakers or the Garleans had ever set foot on Azys Lla - and there had been no definitive indications at the time that the weapon was anywhere close to readiness.

"Just as the XIVth excavated the Ultima Weapon using Ala Mhigan labor, so too have countless Domans suffered and perished to bring the XIIth's ambitions of Vegnagun to fruition. And now, with Lord Hien still free of the viceroy's grasp-"

"Doma's rightful heir, yes?"

"Yes. The viceroy will stop at nothing to see him dead - even if it means using Vegnagun to destroy all of Yanxia. She means to do so; she has ordered the project's completion to be moved to three moons from now."

Ashe fell silent as she contemplated the weight of those words: that in three moons, an entire region in Othard could be destroyed by a weapon powered by some of Allag’s most dangerous artifacts. "How did you gain access to this intelligence?" she asked at last.

"I..." Hirokage paused for no more than a moment to wet his lips. "I served as an informant to the Doman Liberation Front from within Castrum Fluminis. I have done things of which I am not proud, Lady Riot - but when a missive detailing Vegnagun's readiness was sent out, I was able to forward the message to a party within the Doman Liberation Front. The message was intercepted, and... though I escaped suspicion, not one of them survived."

"And how, then, did you come to Aldenard?"

"The viceroy ordered me to accompany the architectus magiteci - the lead engineer of the Vegnagun project - for a meeting with the legatus at the royal palace. And with others who would have a vested interest in seeing Vegnagun activated: Bonifas rem Abiegnus, Alenna mal Vaius-"

"Enough." Ashe had not expected him to refer to the same woman responsible for so much of the harm done to Gaufrier Lespoir and who had nearly destroyed Edge's leg, and she could only hope that her reaction had not been too telling. "So you came to Aldenard as part of the architectus magiteci's contingent. How did you find your way to Rhalgr's Reach?"

"I stole a uniform from the palace barracks and went to the coordinates where the last Ala Mhigan Resistance troops had been spotted. And I surrendered to the first unit to reveal themselves to me. It was foolhardy, barely planned. But I knew I could not remain silent."

Ashe waited in the silence, watching the meager torchlight flicker and dance across the smooth stone walls. Though Hirokage's face was composed at a glance, his gaze reacted to every droplet of water, every crunch of sand beneath her feet, every movement she made. He hid his unease about as well as any man who had traveled halfway around the world bearing knowledge of his homeland's greatest threat.

At last, she sighed. "I cannot send the Riskbreakers to Othard on no more than your word." Not when the battle for Ala Mhigo was so close at hand.

Hirokage nodded. "The Resistance soldiers who accepted my surrender destroyed my communications device and threw it into the Velodyna as a precaution. But if you and yours have the means to intercept their signals, I have memorized the frequency at which the XIIth submits and receives transmissions pertaining to Vegnagun."

The number he listed was at a frequency over a thousand times higher than any she had ever tapped into before but still well within the range of the Garlean communications device she had taken from Castrum Oriens moons ago.

"Please, Lady Riot." Once more Hirokage held his hands through the bars, clasping them together as if in a sort of prayer. "I swear to you - this is Doma's last chance."

For only a moment she espied a tremble in the man's lower lip, heard the faintest whisper as if it echoed all the way from the entrance of the tunnel - something that might have been "help me" - and then, in an instant, it was gone.

She took care to fly far to the south, away from the Reach and any civilian settlements, in the event that the Garleans could trace the coordinates of those who intercepted the broadcast. Anastasis had learned to maneuver his way through East End to remain well out of view from Castellum Velodyna and brought her to a location well within the range of a XIIth Legion patrol while he hunted squirrels for his supper. Ashe leaned against a boulder, well out of sight from any passersby, and dialed her modified linkpearl toward frequencies that no Eorzean nation yet possessed the capacity to broadcast from. Each flick of her thumb set her heart to beat a bit quicker in trepidation, until-

"-thirteen point seven billion figure given to Lord Zenos, and he agreed to the measure. Over."

"That's thirteen point seven billion in the next quarter? Over."

"Thirteen point seven billion for each moon until the project is completed. Called it 'inelegant,' but even he couldn't deny it would show results. As of now, you can inform the viceroy that Vegnagun is on schedule for completion in sixty-four days."

Ashelia Riot closed her eyes, stretched out against the rugged stone behind her, and breathed deeply of the clean forest air.

Though she had come back to Gyr Abania for no more than a moon, her company was needed on the other side of the world.

[greenmagic-oilspill]

Fragments, Pt. 3

The Sandsea…

Granny and Azionne knelt on the floor across from each other, their eyes screwed shut in concentration. In the basement, upon the open sparring mat, the two women meditated. Azionne gathered her aether and channeled it to Granny, who felt their aether churning around her, intertwining and giving her power.

Their Echo allowed Granny to do this.

"Edge and Yue are far out of our reach, no matter what we do," said Granny.  She placed her palms down on the tatami mat, picturing her Cluster mates in her mind's eye.  "The other four, however… it is time for them to come home."

Gyr Abania, the Peaks…

Often, Siz'ir found himself wandering. At night, especially, when he knew his comrades must be sleeping, he found his mind journeying to them, guiding the rest of the Cluster through their sleep. Weaving them into each other's memories. He had no control over it - Azionne would cross his mind, and then Edge, and he would be viewing Edge's dreams through Azionne's eyes. Sometimes, Gogo would experience Azionne's nightmares - he felt bad for the young Lalafell the most, as Azionne's sleep was the most fitful.

Curiously, Yue did not seem to dream much, so none of the Cluster dived into her memories often. Siz'ir was not sure why, but when she did dream it was always from after she joined the Riskbreakers.

He felt a little bad, sometimes. His Cluster's worst memories and private moments, their dreams, became shared nearly every night. He didn't think they could see Siz'ir's own dreams, however, which was fine with him.

He sat cross-legged on the ruined Temple of the Fist's stone floor, one of many abandoned temples strewn about the Peaks. He drank an awful concoction from a bowl that tasted vaguely of onions and something sweet, perhaps a fruit, that his teacher insisted would energize him. His living situation was sparse, and the temple had not become any more comfortable since he and his teacher moved in temporarily, but something about it had become comforting to him. A carving of the Destroyer watched them always, and after a few days of explaining the Eorzean Twelve to his teacher, Siz'ir found that he liked it. He was never a spiritual man by any means, but something about the Destroyer's eyes felt safe… perhaps coupled with Menphina gazing at him through the hole in the roof every night. He was a Keeper, after all, even if he was never welcome to a tribe.

His teacher, Tatsumiya, said that his dreams were the result of his third eye awakening. Siz'ir argued back that it was the Echo, and that he was not becoming Garlean or anything.  But the old crone shook her head, called him an idiot, and claimed it was an ability of the Samurai. That was when she finally consented to training him.

The blade she had given him, a katana, felt awkward in his hands at first. For a long time, he swung it with reckless abandon, but Tatsumiya's strict instruction and frequent beatings by her own wooden katana eventually made the blade feel like an extension of his own arm.

He had a long way to go.

Siz'ir forced the last of his drink down his throat, and was just about to stand when Granny's aetherial form materialized in front of him.

"Siz'ir… the Riskbreakers are in trouble. The Reach is fallen. Come home."

Kugane…

As Yue walked through the city with her companions, she felt herself being awestruck by just about everything. Its colors - bright crimson towers, golden lanterns, robes and kimonos of lavender and pink and yellow. Its smells - the salt of the sea, the rice wine in the hot springs, foods cooking in street stalls as they passed. Its people - sailors and merchants from all the world over, Roegadyn and Hyur and even Au Ra like her, all different styles of clothes and adventurers. It seemed that in the past thousand years, Hingashi had changed more than she could ever believe. And yet…

And  yet…

So much of it seemed familiar to her, though she didn’t voice that to Sima or Helisent. The hard-faced woman at the Shiokaze Hostelry, with the silky hair and the eyepatch, seemed like someone she met in a dream. She and Yue had even caught each other's eyes as they passed, and Yue noticed a brief flicker of recognition that passed just as quickly. But how could they have met before, when Yue had not been here in a thousand years?

Yue even found herself suggesting that she and her companions go see the theatre, but how had she even known Kugane had one? Kugane did not even exist yet when she roamed these lands.

Lady Azionne had bid her to travel to Doma, to see how much the land had changed.

But Yue feared that she'd find it didn't change at all.

Outside Little Ala Mhigo…

The trio of Red Mages sat inside their crimson tent, sharing food and drink and stories with each other. Baithin learned a lot about Lunelle and their teacher, Aldrich, and their travels together before they came across him and he took the red with them. Aldrich was a jovial man, one who left the group known as the Crimson Duelists before they were massacred during the Mad King Theodoric's reign. As such, he was spared, though Baithin sensed a hint of melancholy and guilt underneath his eccentricities.

Lunelle was an Ishgardian woman, and though Baithin assumed she was from a noble house due to the way she carried herself and her dress, it turned out she was lowborn. Before coming across Aldrich on his journey to Ishgard, Lunelle was a devout priestess of Halone and a talented arcanist besides, charged by the Church to devote her life and her skill to the war with the Dravanians. Upon meeting Aldrich, who showed her what a life of adventure could be like, she exchanged her alb for a crimson chapeau and joined him, scarcely looking back at her old life.

"So I tell Edge, 'Listen, you accidentally stole an Ul'dahn nobleman's laxatives instead of his Fantasia, so you don't get to yell at me for stealing top-secret Garlean intelligence!' That shut him up real good," said Baithin, chuckling. Aldrich roared with laughter.

"Oh, my!" said Lunelle, giggling behind her hand. She brushed her chin-length brown hair behind her ear. "What a story! It is quite crude, though..."

Baithin nearly jumped to his feet when Granny suddenly materialized in front of him, and the look on her face immediately made him worry. "Baithin, come home. Vegnagun was fake. The Reach has fallen."

She vanished, and Baithin stood. Lunelle and Aldrich looked up at him, startled. "Vegnagun was fake…?" Baithin said aloud. No, it couldn't be… that was the intelligence he had discovered, he was the first Riskbreaker to have heard of the Garlean superweapon in development. He hadn't even known that Ashe went to pursue it, or sent members of their company - he had been in the deserts of Thanalan for far too long. Guilt gripped his chest. If Vegnagun wasn't real, what did that mean for the Riskbreakers? "I have to go home," he said to his companions.  He immediately went to gather his things. "This isn't one of those situations where if I leave I can never complete my training, is it?"

Aldrich blinked. "No, son, of course not. Do what you need to."

"But you'll come back to us?" Lunelle asked, her heterochromatic eyes hopeful. She stood with him. She was short for an Elezen, but he was tall for a Midlander, so he had a few ilms on her. "Perhaps I could come with you!"

Baithin shook his head. "No… this is something I have to do alone. I think I've made a huge mistake."

The Azim Steppe, Reunion…

Edge sat in deep meditation, the events of the past few days churning in his mind.

Their party had decided to take refuge in the homeland of the Xaela tribes, and Sylvan Rain had managed to find them, bringing two strangers with her that joined their strength to the Riskbreakers' cause. Their initial traveling party now reunited, Sylvan brought news with her - that their mission in Doma was a lie, that there was no Vegnagun, and it was all a Garlean ploy to fracture the Riskbreakers' strength. They had immediately feared a retaliation on the Gyr Abanian front, so Edge was in a panic, worried for Ashe's safety.

It was Arae'sae Evlo who came to his aid then, casting a spell that connected Edge to Ashe through the aetherial sea. He didn't know exactly how it worked, but it allowed him to send a short message to his wife. They were safe… at least for now. And because they were able to find Ashe in the aether, Edge knew she was, too.

He trusted in her strength. He knew he would have to - especially since the Riskbreaker party decided to stay in the Far East to aid the Doman Liberation Front. In that sense, their mission had not changed. Luckily, in Reunion, they had come across Aisling Lee, another ally, and she would guide them to searching for Lord Hien, heir apparent to the Doman throne. That was how they would aid the Liberation Front, by bringing their leader back from the Azim Steppe.

Until then, they would bide their time. Arae'sae was working on long-distance communication with everyone back home, using magically-encrypted linkpearls… whatever that meant. He hoped he would be able to connect to Gogo, at least, all the way up in Azys Lla…

Azys Lla, Gamma Quadrant…

Lini and Gogo stood together against their foes, with Pikna Popp the moogle behind them trying her best to offer support. The Elezen, a man with an enormous greatsword, continued to harry Lini as much as he could. His swings were slow, but heavy, and Lini's only advantage was her smaller size and speed. That would only do her so good… just one misstep and he could kill her. On top of that, his dark magic caused her no end of struggle.

The Xaela Warrior was a timid fighter, clearly holding back. Lini had almost forgotten his presence multiple times while faced with Geoffroix's onslaught, until he came out of nowhere with a halfhearted swing. Lini cursed to herself and just barely managed to dodge, deciding once and for all to remove him from the fight for being little more than a nuisance. She had to help Gogo fight Invidia, who was doing all he could to match her spearcannon with his gunplay and machinery.

Lini slashed the Xaelan man across the chest, letting out a spray of crimson blood that stained the rocky ground. The Warrior stumbled backward, hand drawn to his chest more out of shock than fear.

"Dagasi!" Invidia shouted. Lini was startled by the pitch of her voice, which showed shock, concern, and… a little fear? The Garlean woman glared at Lini. "What have you done?"

Lini was about to answer, but she barely had time to raise her shield and block a savage axe cleave, the strength of it sending her flying back several fulms where she fell to the ground, her shield arm numb. "By the Twelve, that strength!" she exclaimed.

She barely had time to react when Dagasi was on her again, all timidity gone - he was the picture of ferocity, his eyes afire with rage. He snarled, hefting his axe for a killing blow that Lini just barely rolled out of the way to avoid. His attack decimated the ground beneath her, sending up a spray of rocks and dirt.

Granny appeared, then, materializing in between Lini and Dagasi, throwing her arms up instinctively to defend herself when the Xaela launched himself through her to attack Lini. "Oh, my!" Granny exclaimed. "Linini, what is happening? Is that… Invidia?! You've found her?"

"Not now!" Lini shouted, diving away from another blow. She glanced up at the airship full of adventurers and Ironworks engineers, ready to leave this disastrous expedition to the Gamma Quadrant behind. She and Gogo needed to leave now.

She heard Gogo's panicked yelp and saw him trapped in some sort of electric vice, metal clamps tight around his arms and legs and holding him immobilized on the ground. Lini cursed again, and in the chaos of the moment she didn't notice Granny vanishing, nor did she see Geoffroix resuming his attack until he was on her again.

She weakly parried his blow, but Dagasi snarled and was on her again. This time, Geoffroix was in his way, and the Warrior went on a rampage that didn't differentiate between friend or foe. She used the opportunity to run away from Geoffroix and Dagasi, now locked in combat with each other, and went to Gogo's aid.

"Lini, don't worry about me!" the boy shouted at her from the ground. "I'll be okay! You need to get on that airship!"

She clenched her fist. "I refuse to leave you behind!"

"I'm not scared!" he said, and somehow, Lini believed it.

Pikna Popp fluttered in the air around Lini. "C'mon, kupo! We don't have much time!"

"But Gogo… he's just a child!" Lini argued. "I was supposed to keep him safe here!"

Invidia knelt at Gogo's side, giving Lini a smirk that said she was the victor here. Lini grit her teeth, not knowing what else she could do. In front of her, Gogo was trapped, and more Garlean soldiers were arriving to the fray. To her left, Geoffroix was slowly but surely subduing Dagasi, and he would be coming for her next. Behind her, the airship to safety was readying to leave her behind.

For the second time in her life, Lini fled.

Granny opened her eyes, and judging by the look on her face Azionne knew she didn’t see anything good. “What is it?”

“Lini and Gogo are fighting Invidia as we speak,” she said. “It... does not look good.”

And then the old woman collapsed.

[strawberiimiki-blog]

This email on prayer (Reposting)

Are You Having Trouble Praying? This is for You.

I noticed that the Our Father shows us a 4-Step Pattern that we can follow when we pray: (1) Worship, (2) Word, (3) Wish, and (4) Wash.

When you say, Our Father who are in Heaven, Holy be Your name, this is WORSHIP.

When you say, Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, this is the WORD.

When you say, Give us this day our daily bread, this is WISH.

When you say, Forgive us our sins and we forgive those who sins against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, that is WASH.

It's not a rigid pattern because prayer is relationship—and relationships aren't rigid.  But it's a magnificent guide to a wonderful relationship.

4 Minutes with God:

Worship, Word, Wish, Wash

Nor is it really 4 minutes.  It can be 4 minutes, or 8 minutes, or 15 minutes, or 30 minutes…  But if you've never done this before, 4 minutes is an awesome START.  And let God lead you from there.

First Minute: Worship

My definition of Worship is very different from how others define worship.  Worship isn't loving God as much as it is allowing God to love us.  Worship is Welcome.  It is God welcoming us to His giant Heart of Love; Worship is swimming in that ocean of love.  Because God doesn't need our worship.  We do!  Because worship opens up our lives to His love.

How do we worship?  There are many ways.

Thanksgiving: Simply count your blessings.  Be grateful to God.  Gratitude is a powerful magnet that attracts even more blessings into your life.

Singing: The worship songs we sing today are modern Psalms.  Learn the songs we sing at the Feast and sing them in your own personal appointment with God.

Reading the Psalms: For centuries, monks have been chanting the Psalms 7 times a day.  Priests and nuns still read the Psalms as their way of worshipping God.

Rosary: Centuries ago, many people wanted to imitate the monks when they read the 150 Psalms in the Bible.  But at that time, 95% of the population couldn't read.  So the monks designed the Rosary so people can pray 150 Hail Marys instead of 150 Psalms—50 for each of the three original mysteries (Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious).  These Hail Marys aren't the focus but rather act like "background music” as our minds reflect on the life of Jesus.  (Many think that the Rosary is a prayer to Mary; It's not; It's a prayer centered on Jesus—with Mary praying with us.)

Mass: This is the highest form of worship, the center of our faith, the ultimate way we remember God's love for us.  My parents went to Mass everyday for 60+ years.  This was their Appointment with God.

Second Minute: Word

The real battlefield of your life is in your mind.

If you win in the battlefield of your mind, you win in the battlefield of your life.  That's why the Bible says, Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  (Romans 12:2)

How do you know if you've renewed your mind?  Easy. If you see things the way God sees things, if you think the way God thinks, and if you love the way He loves…  then you know, your mind is being renewed.

And the only way to do this is to SATURATE your mind with His Word.

Treasure The Word of God

Ravi Zacharias tells the story of Hien Pham, his Vietnamese English Translator he met in Vietnam in 1971.  When the communists took over the country, they threw Hien in jail because he was a Christian.  In prison, they gave him only 2 books by Karl Marx—a French version and a Vietnamese version.  They indoctrinated him and tried to brainwash him.

After many difficult months in prison, Hien's spirit began to wilt.  He became depressed and lost all hope.  One dark night, he told God, "Maybe this is all a lie.  Maybe God does not exist.  This will be the last time I will pray to you!”

The next morning, the warden told him to clean the prison toilets.  It was the most dreaded chore.  The toilet smelled so bad, Hien had to cover his face and nose with a towel the entire time.  After mopping the floor, in the dirty tin can filled with toilet paper, he saw a torn piece of paper with English Words.  Hien grabbed it, washed it, and stuffed it in his pocket.

That night in bed, when everyone was asleep, beneath the mosquito net, Hien got his a flashlight and pulled out the piece of paper.  He discovered it was a torn page of the Bible; It said Romans 8.  Trembling, his tears rolling down his cheeks, he read, All things will work for good to those who love God… Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ… (Romans 8:28, 39)

Hien said, "Lord, you wouldn't even let me separate from you for one day!”

The next day, he asked the warden to assign him again to clean the toilets; While cleaning, in the trash, he saw another torn page of the Bible; he washed it and put it in his pocket; He realized, that one of the prison guards was using the Bible as toilet paper; and so everyday, Hien would get the torn paper, wash it, and keep it in his pocket.

And in the evening, inside his mosquito net, he would read God's Word; Each day, he was adding to his collection of pages.  And that was his spiritually nourishment everyday.

After a few years, Hien was released from prison.  He started building a boat so he could escape with 53 other people.

But one day, 4 Vietnamese soldiers came and pulled him aside, "Someone told us that you are building a boat.  Is this true?”   He lied and said, "No, I'm not building a boat.”  "You want to escape!” they said.  "No, I'm not escaping…” He said again.

But on the day he was to sail, Hien prayed, "Lord, I'm sorry I lied.  If you want me to tell the truth, let those soldiers come to me again before I finally go.”

An hour before he boarded the boat, the 4 soldiers came, pulled him by the collar, and asked, "You're escaping aren't you?”

Hien said, "Yes, with 53 others.  Are you going to put me in prison?”

The 4 men said, "No, we want to go with you.”

And in that dangerous trip at sea that lasted for weeks, amidst the strong storms and fierce waves that could have killed them all, do you know who were their saviors?  It turned out that those 4 soldiers were great seamen!  They steered the boat to safety.  Without those 4 men, no one would have survived.

They landed in Thailand, got refugee status, and became immigrants in Canada.

One day, Hien spoke to Ravi's children.  He said, "In your pursuit of success, you will be tempted to lie, to cheat, to be greedy… Don't do that.  The success that you seek is found in God alone.”

God's Word—in torn pages—sustained this man and nourished his heart in prison.  I believe God's Word will sustain you and nourish your heart during your most difficult hours as well.  Read it with spiritual hunger.  Make it precious to you.

Always Ask, "What Is God Telling Me?”

Let me give some practical details…

Read the Bible: I suggest you follow the daily Mass Readings so you're in line with the Church Calendar.  Grab a Daily Bible Reading Guide such Companion, Didache, Gabay, or Sabbath atwww.KerygmaBooks.com/shop. (I'm biased; I publish these 4 guides.) Or sign up at KerygmaFamily.com and you'll receive the daily Mass Readings in your inbox.  If you're just starting out, just read the Gospel for the day.  Or even just one verse of that Gospel.  Even if you read the entire reading, pick ONE VERSE that hits home in your heart and ask, "God, what are you telling me today?”  The answer to that question is the most important part of reading the Bible.  The Bible says, All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Write a Journal: After reading the Bible readings, you may write your reflections and prayers.

Reading Spiritual Books and Listening to Spiritual Talks: I love reading.  Every morning, I take time out to read a spiritual book and "converse” with God about what I'm reading.  If you're not a reader, get Audio and Video Talks that will inspire you and make you grow.

Third Minute: Wish

One day, a boat sunk and three survivors swam to an island.  For 6 months, these three men lived together, feeding on coconuts and fish.  One day, one of them found a bottle floating in the water.  When he opened the bottle, a Genie came out.  The magical man in a turban said to them, "As gratitude for freeing me, I'll grant each of you one wish.”

All of them jumped up for joy.  One man said, "Oh please Genie, I wish to go back to my family in Manila!”  And POOF!  He was gone.

The second man said, "Oh please Genie, I wish to go back to my family in Cebu!”  And POOF!  He was gone.

The third man said, "Gee…  After six months of being together with those guys, I miss them already.  I wish we would see each other one last time…”  And POOF!  The two guys appeared again in the island.

And the Genie disappeared.

What's the problem with our story?  The Genie gave them only three wishes.  But in God, there is NO scarcity of miracles.  God doesn't just give you three wishes.  You can make as many wishes as you want.  You can pray for as many miracles as you want.  Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7).

Because God is a God of abundance.

You can do two things in WISH…

Declare your Dreams: Get your Novena to God's Love and read anew your Dreams.  Or read the mission statements you made.  Or lift up your Dream Board.

Intercede for Others: Praying for others is powerful. Pray for your family, your friends, your customers, the people you're serving in your ministry, and anyone asking for prayers.  Some people think that intercession is reminding God to bless certain people, in case He forgets.  Which is nuts.  He never forgets.  The reality is that God loves the person you're praying for, much more than you do.  So yes, He already has sent blessings to that person.  But when you intercede for them, you're sending your love to that person.  And love is the operating force of this universe.  Love is powerful.  I can't explain it, but when you send love, you open that person's life to more blessings!

Four Minute: Wash

In the last part of your prayer, allow God's Love to heal you, purify you, and remove anything that hinders your growth.

Ask God, "Show me how I can love more.  Point out areas in my life that don't represent you.  Convict me of places in my heart where I don't follow you.”  We need God's help to do this.  We have many blind spots.  The Bible says our faults our hidden. But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.  (Psalms 19:12). We can't see our errors—so we pray that God show them to us.

Catholics call this the Examination of Conscience.  It's like taking a spiritual bath everyday where you repent and receive His love.

Very important: The focus is NOT how bad you are; the focus is on how good God is; The focus is NOT your sins; the focus is on God's saving Love.  Because what you focus on grows.

The fruit of prayer is NOT wonderful feelings; The fruit of prayer is to become to become like Jesus.  And that's why the fourth step, WASH, is very important.

Conclusion: "I Don't Know How to Pray!”

In my home office, I have a special drawer where I keep a huge envelope—which I call my treasure chest.  A various times, I find myself opening that envelope and reading the contents inside.  When I do, I feel warmth in my chest, I get a lump in my throat, and I get teary eyed.

What do I read?  That envelope contains all the love letters and cards of my boys. Birthday cards, Christmas Cards cards, and Father's Day cards.

The crazy thing about those love letters and cards is that they're awful.  The words aren't spelled correctly.  The lines aren't straight.  The drawings aren't clean.  There are smudges.  Erasures.  Mistakes.  But I look at those cards and say, "They're more beautiful than Leonard da Vinci's Mona Lisa.”

Why?  In my heart, the gift is not as important as the giver.  If I love the giver of the gift, then I love the gift.

Friend, don't worry about your weaknesses and failures.  God knows them.  Give your broken self as your gift to God. With your stains, blemishes, and pockmarks included.

One day, a middle-aged man came up to me and said, "Bo, I really don't know how to pray.  I envy you.  You pray so fluently.  So spontaneously.  I don't know how you do it.  When I pray, I can't think of the right words to say…”

I told him, "That's okay.  Prayer isn't about words.  Prayer is about welcome.  Prayer is God welcoming you to His love, welcoming you to His heart.”

Talk to Him and call Him Daddy.

And let God's love do the rest.

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez