It's a beautiful summer evening on Waikiki beach, and a perfect night for a community barbeque. While the food, music and other entertainment is not entirely free, the $10 entry is at least affordable for those who came, and will buy one a small line-up of talented local bands, a tasty dish of spicey BBQ pork ribs and some giant jenga and other life-sized games. There are also colorful glow sticks being handed out and a nice clearing in front of the stage for dancing. Muriel was rumoured to make an appearance tonight, however, she is either late, sick, or a no-show. Odd, for one who is usually so punctual.
Robin walks along the beach towards the barbecue, and has no complaint about the inexpensive entry fee. The ribs are his focus, quietly cajoling the servers to add a few extra ribs. Grinning, he wanders through the crowd, enjoying the spicy pork ribs and watching others play the giant games.
Kirk is present. But he's not.. partying per se. He's got a plate that he's already cleaned off, sitting a little off to the side to watch the revelers. Enjoying some nice food, a night out and a light sense of companionship with the random people moving about. It's a relaxing moment that he seems to lightly enjoy.
Nick's there, hair still damp from the water, apparently coming across the little music festival by chance. He's barefoot in board shorts and a t-shirt, the shorts still damp as well. He makes his way to the line to figure out just what's going on, and lifts a shoulder. Ten bucks is a deal for the food, even if it may or may not be his jam when it comes to the music. The Pixies t-shirt he wears suggests it might not be. He finds the water proof bag tucked in his board short pocket to pull out his money, as well as his cell phone, which he checks quickly before sliding back in the bag.
Muriel sets the pose order for your location.
As the beach starts to get more crowded and lively, the announcer comes on stage, the spotlight briefly shining on him. "Good evening everyone, I hope we're all having a good time! We're sorry that Muriel couldn't make it. In her place, please welcome the Ragin' Roaches!" amid applause, the Emcee steps back and lets the curtains on stage open to reveal the latest punk rock band, a bunch of young teens with crazy hairdos. The crowd seems a bit disappointed at this change, but once the new band strikes out a lively and rhythmic beat, people start to head for the dance floor, enjoying the new music.
Amid the lively partying and the delicious smell of BBQ ribs that curls up from a large pit beyond a line-up of people, two robed figures hastily weave in and out of the crowds, although they are neither headed for the dance floor, nor the BBQ line-up.
Robin looks a little disappointed at the fact that Muriel hasn't made it, thought the punk band that comes one sounds somewhat decent. He continues to wander the crowd, enjoying the ribs and the people's excitement around him. The young man glances at a couple of oddly dressed people passing by, and he accidentally bumps into someone who is dancing. A few of his ribs tumble to the sand, and he bends down to pick them up. He tries blowing on them to get the sand off, and looks a little sad that he cannot return them to their former, sandless glory. "Oh well.", he mutters, dropping them into a nearby garbage bin.
Kirk looks over as the announcer speaks up. A hand going down to the drink he set aside while he ate. Lifting it to take a light sip as he listens to the announcement of the 'Ragin' Roaches'. He grimaces faintly at the band's name. "Poor choice," he murmurs to himself. He's somewhat curious at Muriel not being present. Though as he sets his drink down again, he notices the robed folk. Odd and eye catching. And then a brow lifts as he considers one of them. Now he's curious, tracking them as they move. Especially that one.
The name Muriel means nothing to Nick and he's a punk at heart, so he nods his head in time to the music. The robed figures pass by, and he gives them a raised brow. Not exactly beach dress, especially in a time and age where going pretty much naked is totally acceptable. "Onward to Mordor!" he calls out, looking amused at himself even if no one else does. He moves to the spread with the food and drink, because who doesn't love some barbecue.
One of the robed figures pauses, glancing behind her as something fell from her pocket. Her long black cowled coat hides most of her face and her body, made all the more obscure by the darkness, but as she peers around for her lost item she pauses briefly, glancing slowly at Robin and Kirk in turn.
"Mirabelle..Come!" calls the other figure, her voice older, impatient..Annoyed at something as she grabs her wrist and pulls her towards her. The two figures continue to weave through the party goers, disappearing in the crowds as they head towards the beach.
The ragin' roaches start to sing now, along with the drumbeat and an electric guitar. "Ragin' rockin, we're the roaches! We'll bust ya up and save no coaches!' their lyrics are quite sad, and they are clearly amateurs, probably the best they could come up with at the last minute. Still, their beat is pretty catchy. They may yet hold some promise.
Tonight the beaches are pretty quiet, with the occasional wind causing gentle rolling waves here and there. It's a beautiful night for partying but perhaps too dark for swimming. Still, there is a lone motorbboat out on the water, several hundred yards yet from shore as it slowly heads towards land.
Robin raises an eyebrow as Kirk enters the scene, and while he was content to allow the robed curiosities pass by without action, the arrival of the other man has changed things. The young man approaches Kirk, and reaches out to squeeze his shoulder, moving to fall into step beside him. "Muriel, or Mirabelle. Which is it, really, I wonder?", Robin asks of Kirk. "Shall we find out first, or allow them to get up to whatever it is they are going to get up to?"
Kirk frowns faintly to himself as he watches the hooded figures. The way they act. He rises up. Fortunately, he's left his bag behind so he can get to his feet and get moving quickly. Only paused when Robin approaches. He doesn't need to think over his course of action. "We shall." He starts forward, making his way after the robed figures, firm but careful not to cause a scene that might delay him even longer.
Bringing a rib up to his mouth to bite, once it's been procured, Nick turns to watch the goings on again. He notices the figure -- Mirabelle? -- drop *something* and his eyes drop to the ground nearby her to look around for it, moving a bit closer to that part of the party. It is dark, though, and there are feet and people in the way.
Something catches his eye and he veers slightly, but then stops -- whatever it was, it's gone. He looks up again, and takes another bite of rib, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand after.
The robed figures continue to weave through the crowds, outrunning Kirk and putting some distance between them. It is pretty dark, but with glow sticks waving about here and there, there is at least some light to follow them by. Robin is able to keep up with them as they make their way towards the beach and through the water, shedding their robes.
The music continues to play loudly, and the crowds fold in on each side, making it hard to get through them as they dance more lively to the music. The Ragin' roaches seem to be quite the hit at least with the younger generation, who swing and woop and yell in response to the music and dance. And the strong scent of BBQ pork continues to waft throughout, adding a delicious scent to the party. It is pretty warm now with the fire on the BBQ pit, and all the dancing bodies and one or two people walk towards the cool beaches.
Robin tries to keep the robed figures in sight, while also trying to stay close enough for Kirk to follow. At this point, he pulls a small object from his pocket. "Hey!", he calls out, to the two figures ahead. "You dropped something, lady!"
Kirk keeps up with Robin, if not the others. Keeping the other man in sight so he won' lose a sense of where he should be headed until they leave the crowd. His mind is working as he follows, a sense of nervousness touching him. Considering how to confront this threat. "They're going to the rocks," he says, just loud enough for Robin to hear.
While he doesn't follow, Nick watches the figures out of curiosity until they get farther away from the crowd and head into the water. He sets down the plate and goes toward the shore, not through the crowd in the same way they did, but the other way with less need for crowdsurfing. When he reaches the water, he's several yards away from them. Shirt is pulled off and tossed on the sand before he starts to wade into the water. Eventually he ducks under and doesn't emerge. At least not for quite some time.
The tide is low and ebbing.
The two figures continue swimming towards the large boulder, even as Muriel pauses briefly to glance over her shoulder at Robin and Kirk. She arches a brow at the familiar voices, pausing, hesitating as he mentions something she dropped. "No, stay back, both of you!" she calls out, before some invisible jerk causes her to gasp, looking back towards the other woman, diving deeper into the water and momentarily vanishing from sight as she clambers onto the rock a moment later. The woman also pauses, narrowing her eyes upon Kirk and Robin, particularly Robin who is nearer. "Idiot. Stay out of this. Mirabelle. Do it." and in that same movement, the older woman pulls out a small gun, aiming it towards Robin and aims a shot at him..
Meanwhile, Muriel narrows her eyes upon the boat, and a moment later, a massive blade of ice erupts from the surface of the water, slamming into the underside of the boat. It's not enough to destroy the boat entirely, but it does create a small hole in its hull and it sways quite a bit, causing the lone passenger to grip onto the side tightly as it nearly tips over.
Robin stops after he is shot, and starts to run the other way. "Call the police!", he begins to shout, "I've been shot!" He waves at Kick. "Get back, the other one has a gun!" He doesn't stop, however, he'll keep going away from the women, the boat and the water.
Kirk doesn't go ahead of Robin, but he does pause near him. Peering out towards where the ice lade was used. "The man on there.. he has a suit." His eyes narrow. "I doubt he has a life jacket. Why is she making Muriel do this? Who is that?" He frowns, already trying to think his way out of this.
In the water, a seal is laying low... or high, actually, up at the surface with just his muzzle and eyes breaking the surface, peering out so he can see what's going on. He's closer to the boat than the rocks.
The woman with the gun glares at Robin. "Hmph. Fool." she turns and steps behind the boulder. "I have another pressing appointment. Deal with this Mirabelle. Do not disappoint me!" and she pulls out a remote starter from her pocket. A nearby engine rumbles to life and she steps aboard a motor boat, hidden behind the rocks, riding off in the opposite direction. Muriel grits her teeth, eyeing her out of the corner of her eye. "Coward.." she sneers as that invisible force continues to pull her back towards the task at hand, hands trembling as she tries to fight against it. She focuses upon the man struggling to control the leak in his boat, and utters another string of magical words followed by hand gestures, this time summoning a large blast of wind to try to tip the boat all the way, along with its passenger. This time, she is successful in knocking the boat over, and its occupant yells out in surprise and fear, struggling to stay afloat in the sudden violent waves that follow in the wake of the wind blast. "Help!" he cries out, trying to stay afloat.
Kirk glances towards Robin, then faces the water again. He takes a breath in and slowly releases it as he brings his hands together before him. Lips moving softly, eyes closed as his hands cup before him, as if holding an invisible sphere. Within moments a small swirling vortex comes to be between his hands. His eyes open and his hands weave about the small core of swirling wind. His eyes narrow and his hands twist, thrusting outward. Swirls of wind cutting across the water, calling up a warmer gust of wind that works against Muriel's assault on the man in the water. Creating a calm around the man. His brow creased with focused concentration as he works to counter what she's doing.
The seal's head dips again, going out of sight -- if anyone's even noticed the dark sleek head of fur in the dark ocean in the dark night -- as he swims in the direction of the boat and the man, trying to give a wide berth to any of the magic being flung around. He doesn't need to intercept any unfriendly fire (or ice, for that matter) intended for the boatman.
The freezing winds cause the man in the water to shiver, flinging blindly at anything that comes near him. Fortunately the nearest thing to him happens to be a big friendly looking seal. He doesn't really think as he reaches out to wrap his hands around the creature, thankful for anything solid to cling onto as his motorboat sinks into the sea. Meanwhile, Kirk's wind shield acts as a powerful buffer against the wintry winds, strong enough to cancel them out entirely, replacing the cold blast with a less frigid breeze. Muriel sinks to her feet, gritting her teeth as she continues to fight against the woman's control. However, she seems to be far enough away by now that her commands no long have effect on Muriel. Blinking a few times, she rises shakily to her feet and starts to swim back to shore. The gunshots do not go entirely unnoticed and the police are undoubtedly already on their way to respond to the disturbance.
When Muriel stops, Kirk waits just a moment before his hands drop and his own winds fade. His hands drop, but he seems buoyed by the success of his attempt. Small victories. He seems a seal appearing to aid the man in the water. His brow furrows at that, but he doesn't question it. It isn't the strangest thing he's seen. Since the man seems to be in good hands, he looks to Muriel as she swims back towards the shore. He approaches where she's about to reach the shore. "Come, hurry. The gunshot won't go unanswered. We need to get you out of here," he calls out to her.
That wasn't what the seal was expecting, and he dips a little in the water once the man grabs hold of him. Still, he manages to buoy the man up and begins to swim to shore. It's not a smooth ride, and the man dips under the water once or twice, but he still manages to get to shallow water where he can wade more quickly than he could have if he was left to his own devices. Once he's on his feet, the seal swims away again, ducking under the water and out of sight.
The sun blazes overhead in the clear blue sky.
The man coughs and gasps for air as he struggles onto land. The seal manages to vanish before he can even thank his strange and quite adorable savior. However, he may have just imagined the whole thing as he rubs his eyes, peering back at Kirk and the approaching Muriel. "Ugh....Dammit, my boat. What the hell just happened? That was a hell of a freak storm.." he sighs, "Good thing it was insured.." still he seems quite annoyed, more annoyed about losing the boat perhaps, then nearly losing his life.
Muriel meanwhile, crawls to the shore, a bit tired and looking quite out of it as she peers back at Kirk. "Kirk..Well done.." she sighs, glancing around, "She's long gone by now, she's already accomplished what she set out to do. Or so she believes.." her eyes narrow, hands clenched. "Dammit, how dare she use me like that.." Oh right. The guy in the boat, she pauses, staring at him, keeping her distance. "Yeah, freak storms..I should get out of here. It's not safe around me, Kirk...Where did Robin go?" she peers around, concern in her voice. She'd heard the shot ring out, uncertain if it had connected.
Robin does return a short time later, leading a few policement. His shirt is unbuttoned, and sports a few large blood splotches on it. But the young man doesn't seem much worse for wear. He heads for the rocks where he last saw Marni. "She was over there.", he says to them, pointing in the right direction. "There was a boat there... but it's gone... and I see stuff floating on the water. Did it sink?" If the wet gentleman is still hanging around, Robin points to him. "She might have shot up that guy's boat..."
Kirk offers Muriel a hand to help her up to her feet. "We're going," he asserts simply. "Robin has gone to find hte police. And they'll be here soon. We don't want to be here to answer questions we don't have good answers for." He won't be slow about it. Even providing an arm if needed to get them off the beach, taking a roundabout route to avoid any curious eyes. By the time the police get there, the only one left will likely be the guy who was in the boat.
Muriel frowns deeply, glancing around as she sees Robin returning. With police. And a blood wound on his shirt. She catches her breath. Dammit. Not police. But at least Robin is alive and well. "Robin.." she murmurs, shaking her head. "He'll be alright. You're right. We should go. I'm sure the police can take care of him.." she peers at the guy still kneeling on the ground. He seems more or less alright, if a bit wet and annoyed. She takes Kirk's hand with a nod, "Probably best to blend in the with the crowd, aye?" she retrieves her long dark green coat, pulling the hood over her face, not wanting to attract rabid fans and starts to walk away from the shoreline. "Let's get out of here.."
Down the beach, quite a bit, emerges a swimmer, dark haired and blue eyed. He's rubbing some red marks around his neck, courtesy of the flailing boatman. Eventually he gets to where he dropped off his shirt and pulls it over his head.
The tide is low and slack.
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