Tonight, the party was definitely happening in the little cove beyond the permanent luau that was Paradise Cove. This place is filled with happy, smiling faces, lots of good, local music by way of ukulele, drums, chanting people, and all of it was live. Because, you see, it was time to celebrate Pele. The tiki torches had been built strong and bright and the beach itself was almost lit up well enough that the dark just didn't seem so dark at all. It might help that the moon and stars reflected off the water in the lagoon, making it easy to see to the bottom even in the dark.
Who doesn't love a good party to celebrate Pele? Well, maybe her sister. But since Rick is not her sister, he is here to enjoy. He's sitting on the sand at the moment, enjoying a rendition of 'E ala E' that is just coming to a close. He sets the beer he was holding down in the sand, pushing it down a little bit to that it doesn't fall over while he applauds enthusiastically -- or at least as enthusiastic as the generally laid-back surfer ever gets, which is admittedly not as enthusiastic as some people.
Kirk was told that this might be a good spot to learn a bit more about the nature of Hawaiian culture. Though he's come to find it was not as scholarly as he was promised. Apparently some of his casual friends have a sense of humor. Though he has lingered for the moment, on the off change that this will be at least somewhat educational. A drink in hand, non-alcoholic of course. Something to keep from being offered as he moves about the gathered, watching and listening.
Noah was sporting a pair of athletic shorts and a tan t-shirt, mostly because he assumed the Army still dressed. The man was lazily sitting in the sand, resting his back against a rock as he listened to the music with a pressed lip smile as his eyes drifted closed.
Tonight is the night and Healani is moving down the beach towards this celebration spot. Her ebony hair is pulled back and flowers of red, orange and yellow have been woven into a head dress of green leaves. She is wearing a long woven skirt made of grasses with native designs woven into the pattern. Her chest is covered for the sake of decency and of those around her around her neck she wears many lays of flowers. As she walks she moves carefully leaning on a crutch. Beneath the skirt a metal brace can be seen supporting her right leg. a smaller brace is seen on her left ankle. The shoes she wears are sandals made of grass.
Lili, of course, had come to a celebration of Pele. In fact, she'd likely danced a time or two tonight, as she was still decked out in her traditional gear for the fire dancing she'd been doing, and likely would do again. Her waist-length, thick, hair had been woven up into a crown around her head rather tightly, and it made an excellent place to hold the wreath of leaves and big, heavy flowers that had been woven into it. Her clothing included a simple, bandeau-style, strapless, bikini top in bright yellow with big orange and red flowers on it with the bottoms to match, though over the swim bottoms she had on a short, tied cloth the color if red flame. Around her wrists, upper arms, and ankles were wreaths of leaves and flowers and her feet were bare. Naturally, everything Lili wore fit closely enough that she couldn't accidentally set it on fire. Since she wasn't performing currently, Lili had procured herself and someone else something to drink. It likely wasn't clear who she'd gotten the drink for until she plopped down onto her knees by Noah and handed him a coconut with a bright red umbrella sticking out the top, along with a yellow straw. "Coconut volcano, for you, No'ah'uh!" Lili grinned at the man, and took a drink from her own similarly dressed coconut.
Aolani is still bedecked head to toe in full Hula Pele regalia, even though the last show at Paradise Cove is over for the night - the luau never stops when you're celebrating Pele! The dark-haired hula dancer is dressed in a flaming red strapless pareo with a pa'u skirt of hand-painted bark cloth, and leis of red plumeria and ti leaf adorn her head, neck, wrists, and ankles. Her long, dark, silken hair is left free down her back, where the strands play freely in the breezes. She's found herself a good drummer and a chanter with a strong voice, and she's dancing the story of Pele's flight in fierce, bombastic movements that speak of fire meeting water and earth. She's entirely lost to the story, her amber-brown eyes focused on something further away than the celebration on the cove.
Joachim had come down to the cove having heard the strains of the music and spotted the light of the tiki torches through the trees. Having swerved in that direction from a random hike, he came into the clearing of the cove. Drifting to the edge of the crowd, he took a joint out of his pocket, his way of enjoying the party as he lit up, scanning the group. Spotting Rick and Kirk, he gave both men a wave, breathing sweet smelling smoke to the side as he tapped his foot. As his eyes drifted he caught sight of Healani and smiled, moving through to give her a nod. "Good to see you again. How've you been?" Lili's movement through the party-goers got his attention, and he waved to her as well, nodding to Noah before taking another drag and blowing it away and on the wind. He watched Aolani dance curiously, having some understanding of the story from his studies.
A man stepped up after the end of a song by another fellow wearing a grass skirt and playing a ukulele. He lifted his arms up, and people seemed to hush in response to it, leaving the sound of the waves and the crackling of tiki torches as the primary noise behind him. The man was dressed in a traditional men's pa'u (short Hawaiian skirt), tied around his hips, with huge blue and yellow flowers printed on an orange background. On his head he wore what looked like an intricate crown laden with heavy, white and yellow flowers. Around his neck, he wore a lei, all buds open, and all yellow and white. His forearms and just below his knees were both wreathed as well, with weaving much like his crown.
"Everyone, tonight we celebrate the Goddess of Fire, Wind, Lightning, and Volcanoes. The very goddess that graced us with the harsh beauty of the Leeward side of our island. She who commands the powers of the earth to create more land for us to live on, more beach for us to watch the power of the waves as they can never seem to undo the work that Pele has done. There is no pork here, as Kamapua'a has no place in this party. When Pele survived the battle with her sister, Namakoakahai, the Goddess of the sea, by becoming a Goddess herself, she rose the mountains and cliffs of this island higher as a defense, but also as a warning. These islands rest over Pele's power, and she can be seen flexing that power every time the lava comes up from deep within the earth. Every time our mountains grow. We glory in Pele's power, in her eternal wherewithal and protection of our island. Because it is Pele, you see, that keeps our border safe from the incursion of the hungry and cold Goddess Namakoakahai. To Pele! We celebrate her awesome and dangerous touch on the world tonight!" He lifted his voice, calling out toward the island, his back to the ocean, as he spoke.
People cheered and lifted their drinks, random calls of 'To Pele!' filled the night as people joined in, both in Hawaiian and English, along with some sort of pidgin being thrown around. Once the speech was made, the master of ceremonies stepped away and made room for a group of dancers and a man beating a hand-drum. The party, it would seem, was back in motion.
From down the beach, toward the beachy area made more of volcanic sand than anything, people walked toward the party, as if lured by the bright, shimmering flames and music.
Rick leans back on the sand and reaches for his beer, taking a sip from it as his eyes scan the surroundings. It's more absent than actively looking for something, though he does spot Healani, and then Joachim as the other man comes nearer to her. He lifts a hand to wave at both of them, his smile widening a little bit, before he reaches up to touch his ear briefly. His hand falls, though, as the aster of ceremonies starts to speak, and he turns that way, listening to the speech. When it's through, he joins the crowd, lifting the bottle again and cheering with the rest.
The tide is high and ebbing.
The corner of Noah's mouth lifted as he reopened his eyes and took the coconut beverage from Lili. "A coconut volcano, you said? I think I attempted one of those at Schofield, turned out more flammable than expected. The price of troops having too much time on their hands." Moving the umbrella aside to get at the straw and take a long drink, he sighed happily. "You going to let Ao dance by herself? But I understand the need for alcohol before you dance." He let breathy laugh, "I may be projecting, Lee." Looking up at Joachim, Noah shrugged a shoulder, "Me? Been doing. Nothing blowing up that isn't supposed to." The chuckled, quieting as the speech was given, raising his coconut beverage and shouting, "To Pele!" Then he took another drink.
Healani catches sight of Joachim and when she hears his greeting she offers him a nod of her head. "I am doing good, came to the celebration. I have the night off. Thought, I would make a nuisance of myself. I even packed a bag so I can change later, after the ceremony." She says to him. Her dark eyes are bright and reflecting the shifting light from the fires that have been lit. "I do not dance. Still I can chant, drum and sing with the best of them." She tell him. "Here for the festivities?" She grows quiet as she listens to the speaker. She offers the speaker a slight nod her head as he tells the story. Then she adds her voice to the cheer but her words are in her native tongue. Her dark expressive eyes next find Rick when he gets near them. She offers him a subtle smile and another nod of her head.
Lili laughed and shook her head, grinning broadly at Noah. "I already danced twice, and I don't go over and steal her thunder when she hulas, just like she doesn't come out with fire in her hands when I dance. Two totally different styles, No'ah'uh." Lili winked to the man and took a pull from her own coconut drink as she lifted her other hand and waved to Joachim. "Aloha ahiahi, Joachim!" She seemed to be in good spirits indeed, and paid attention when the accolade to Pele was given, following it with a loud "WHOOOOOO! PELE! You baddass Goddess!" Naturally, the fire dancer loved her some Pele, right? Glancing back over at Noah, Lili waggled her eyebrows. "Maybe I get enough of those in you tonight, you can come up and dance with me, or you can go up and dance with Aolani if you want to avoid a little singed hair."
Aolani raises a raucous cheer with the crowd, some exuberant exhultation in her native Hawaiian, and finally returns to earth and the celebration at hand. She retrieves an icy cold cha cha for herself in a hurricane glass with an umbrella and enormous wedge of pineapple, and makes her way towards Lili and Noah. "I'm a much safer bet, No'ah'uh, but we have a whole night of kanikapila to work up to throwing fire around with our Lili!" She offers both Lili and Noah a toast and, for the first time this evening, begins taking in faces, offering smiles of greeting and cheerful waves to familiar ones in the crowd. She tips her head back and hollers into the night sky, "Madame Kaikua'ana is going to love this party!"
Joachim cheered with the others after the speech, nodding in response to Noah's comment and laughing. "Oh well that's generally my indicator of a good day." He looked to Healani, grinning. "Sounds like a plan to me. Ah... more like a random find. I didn't know this was going on." He laughed and shrugged. "A party is a party though. And hey, I don't even do those things." He winked and took another drag, grinning at Rick where he'd made himself comfortable on the beach. "How ya been man?" He chuckled at Lili's enthusiastic greeting and waved back. "Aloha Lili! Good to see you again."
Loa dropped Dark Figure.
Loa dropped Green Figure.
As the party continued in full swing, the night was filled with the throbbing pulse of hand drums, the crash of the ocean hitting the shore, and the whispering sound of grass skirts moving in time with everything else. People talked, laughed, chatted among themselves. The fact that they were celebrating one of the more destructive Goddesses didn't seem to put a damper on the evening of joy in the slightest. Pele, after all, still protected these islands. Maybe in a way that wasn't conducive to survival of everything on it, but she tried!
"So this must be it.", a young man says to himself, as he wanders into the middle of the celebrations. In one hand he holds a bottle of Chinese wine, and in the other a small cup. "Hmm, I think I may have misunderstood what was said. Or perhaps they have mislead me on purpose." Robin shrugs, and looks around at the people gathered. When a cheer comes up, he joins them, raising his cup to Pele, and then downing its contents in one go. A reveler walks past the man, and he offers them a 'shot' of his wine. "To Pele!", he says, taking another sip from his cup.
Robin reaches out to tap Kirk on the shoulder as the man goes by. "Good evening, Kirk. How does the night find you?" Robin turns and gestures to the crowd. "Are you here with friends? And... hmm." He pauses a moment. "Perhaps that's part of the show."
"Aloha," Rick calls back, picking up the bottle and pushing himself to his feet before he brushes a little bit of sand off himself -- though he doesn't try to get it all. It would probably be a futile attempt. He starts making his way over toward Healani and Joachim then instead, finishing off the beer and tossing the bottle into the appropriate receptacle on the way. Once there he adds, "I'm good, man. You?" His gaze shifts to Healani as he returns the nod, "Good to see you."
Kirk offers Joachim a nod when he spots the man. But the speaker draws his attention and he lingers in place as the man speaks. Growing thoughtful as the legend is laid out. And that lingers for some time after, his glass lifted mutely as others call out to Pele. A silent show of respect before he draws from that light reverie. Glancing around, he notes Joachim again and approaches him. "Good evening. This is all very.. Lively," he says as he nears. To say the least. If nothing else, he doesn't seem to be the most festive. Healani receives a nod and a polite, "Good evening." There are a lot of faces he doesn't know here. But Robin is one he does. He turns, offering him a faint smile. "Good evening," he says. Nodding as he considers the bottle. "I was somewhat mistaken as well."
Noah smirked at Lili, "The last time I helped with your fire-whirling, I scorched my hand. I suppose we could split the difference on it. You could balance on my chest while you whirl the flame above me. I'd be dead, but at least I'd go out with a view." He let out a breathy laugh, and shook his head in response to Aolani, "You think that's the case, Ao, but you have to take personnel into account when you're talking risk assessment. Though admittedly, being a fire fighter would be optimal in this situation. Us crazy fuckers from EOD are the type to decide if disarming in place or setting it off is the safer course. Sometimes, we try our best to ensure the ordnance is set in the first place." He paused for a moment, "The safer choice is dancing with your girlfriend rather than her friend. Less likely to lose limbs in the long run." His mouth pressed into a smile as he took a drink and glanced around at the party. He paused moment, "I apologize in advance if this sounds too haole of me... Does native garb usually include seaweed? I thought it was grass skirts." He nodded towards the figure in green.
"Good to see you too Rick. How are you doing?" Healani asks him her voice warm. Her eyes seem to be everywhere at once. When she sees the nod of greeting from Kirk she offers a slight smile and a nod. "Good evening." She offers. "Now for a drink to wet my whistle before I join in the chants." She smiles, "No, not unless you are being special." She cannot help but answer Noah. "Now, if Pele's sister is crashing the party and that never goes well." She shrugs her shoulders. "They both can be pretty bitchy at times." She adds. She looks to Joachim. "Drink?"
Lili leaned over to bump her shoulder against Aolani's. "If you get enough drink in you to start fire dancing tonight, that means we partied the right way." She laughed happily and lifted her coconut to Healani as she answered Noah's question, giving the natively dressed woman a wink. "I don't know that many all that special, even among the maoli, really. But you're right, a drink always makes it better!" Lili turned her head to Noah and beamed at him. "You're so sweet, No'ah'uh. I wouldn't burn off a limb for dancing with Aolani, unless you think it's gonna be more than a dance. I mean, she's pretty hot." She winked to the man and leaned over a little, giving him a kiss on the cheek with strawberry and coconut scented breath. "But it didn't sound too haole, where do you see someone with seaweed?" Lili looked around curiously, offering a smile of recognition to Rick and a nod since he was there near Joachim and Healani. She didn't seem to spot what Noah was talking about, though, and just took another sip from her drink with her brows furrowed as she scanned the crowd.
Aolani leans fondly into Lili when they bump shoulders and laughs. "If I start fire dancing I'm going to light my pa'u on fire and then I'll never be allowed to borrow it from work ever again. And don't worry, when I dance - it's always more than a dance, but not in any sort of way that would encourage you to sever your boyfriend's limbs. Promise. So you're safe with me, No'ah'uh, but...what?" She looks curiously at the man, then squints into the crowd to try and spot the source of his comment. "Somebody wearing seaweed here is, at the very least, a major faux-pas. It would take big balls of steel indeed to represent Namakaokahai here. Hopefully it's just some haole making an innocent mistake, and Madame Kaikua'ana will be happy enough to overlook it. Not likely, but...we can hope."
Joachim nodded to Rick. "Glad to hear it. And eh. You know how it is. Work, beer and burgers." He shrugged and took a drag on his joint. "Hey Kirk. Been a while. Settled in yet alright?" He grinned a bit, raising an eyebrow at Kirk and Robin. "What were you thinking instead? I'm a little curious." He snorted and looked to Healani. "Didn't we already do that? And uh... yeah sure. Want me to get you something? I'm just going to grab a beer." He took another drag, looking about. His brow furrowed as his head tilted. "Uh... yeah that sort of is a weird outfit. Less party attire and more creature from the black lagoon..." He glanced at Aolani and shook his head. "I dunno... I feel like the last time I got caught between the two it was a problem..."
The party continued on in full swing. Dancing, music, drinking, the tiki torches burning brightly along with the stars and moon shining down on all the people celebrating the joyous event of Pele's existence.
"It's just a different party than I expected, that's all.", Robin says to Joachim. "And uhm, more like creature from the green lagoon, yes? Though I suppose that's a reference I don't understand." He takes a lengthy sip from his wine bottle, and nods his head towards the person dressed all in green. "So they're not dressed properly then?" He looks from Joachim to the green man, and back again. "Should we tell them to take off?"
"Doing good," Rick replies to Healani with a grin. "Enjoying the company. But it did just get a lot better." Considering that before he seemed to have been by himself, that may not be saying much, but it does sound genuine, at least. He catches Lili's look, and lifts a hand to her with a nod of greeting as well, but his attention is caught when the talk of someone wearing seaweed begins. "Huh?" He looks around then, though again, not all that hard. Maybe that beer wasn't the first one he'd had tonight.
"I was told this would be a chance to learn more about Hawaiian legends. But I was expecting something more scholarly than.. Well, festive," Kirk admits. "I think they meant to trick me. They always complain I don't go out enough." He shakes his head slightly, seeming faintly annoyed. Thought hat expression fades as there is talk of the seaweed person. He follows Robin's gaze, but is content for now to let the more knowledgeable handle such matters of cultural etiquette. Here, at least, he might learn something of use.
Noah smirked up at Healani, "I was an only child, so I'm probably the one last person to make calls on how siblings should act." The man took another drink, his smile making it to his eyes when Lili kissed his cheek. "You say you wouldn't burn off limbs, but I'm still going to keep them all inside the ride at all times." Raising up to his feet with a groan, he chuckled as he looked between Aolani and Lili, "She saying a dance is more than a dance, and all I hear is compounding complications. Army is all about 70 and KISS. Keep It Simple, Stupid for the acronym impaired." The man took another drink of his beverage, and leaned in closer to Lili and pointed to the person in green. "There."
Seemingly from nowhere, a tall, darkly robed figure came from the shadows. It wasn't so much that it was wearing black as a dark, shrouding sort of gray that managed to make it look almost precisely the shade of the shadows untouched by light. The heavy hood over its head hung down low, so low in fact that it seemed impossible that it could see. But that didn't seem to matter overly much. Instead of waltzing in to join in the festivities, the figure in its dark cloth lifted a hand, which was completely covered by the dark gray save for the last inch of its fingers. What looked like breath cold enough to fog ahead of it slipped out from under its hood in a heavy plume, like thin smoke, or breath in a 30F degree day.
Suddenly, though, after the movement, and that odd puff of near smoke, the world started to quake. So much so that a 5 foot wide fissure began opening up along the basin under the water in the lagoon. That crack traveled up the beach, heading straight for the people at the celebration for Pele, and it didn't stop. Yawning, gaping, earth separated as sand was vibrated into the chasm, leading to nothing but darkness below for what seemed like over 100 feet.
This violent rending of the earth didn't care for people or anything else in its way as several people fell down into the growing void while screaming, some scrambling to get a handhold on the sand and failing as they slipped over the edge, some simply falling as the earth opened up to swallow them. The tiki torches that were along the path of the gulch all fell down as well, cutting the illumination in the night by at least half. The spread of the earth opened up under half of the bar and it started to tilt, glasses and bottles sliding off the slick surface to disappear into the darkness as well.
As that deep, 5 foot-wide chasm opened up, among the other party-goers that fell down into the depths were Healani, Noah, and Lili. While others were able to make a mad scramble out of the way, in some cases looking like they were fighting against the fall as if it were the last fight of their lives, it was as if the ground opened up almost purposefully to take itself away from under Healani and Noah, who simply just fell down as the earth opened up for them. Lili managed to get her hand onto the side, trying to grip into the soft sand, but it wasn't enough of a handhold and she slipped over the side and fell down into the darkness.
The tide is low and ebbing.
The figure in green seemed to move at a very similar time as the darker one. It drew more attention to their movements, making it so everyone that wasn't busy clamoring away from the doom of a deep, dark, void likely noticed them now. Their pale, faded, green robes that were soaked at the bottom seemed to take on more water as its arm lifted, similarly enshrouded as the darker figure's. Only, instead of the earth thundering in a quake and opening further, the sound of eerie, riotous ocean could be heard. The water from the lagoon rose higher, then crashed into the huge gulch created by the darker figure. Swarming, thunderously loud, and deadly, it crashed into people as they fell into the darkness, beating some of them against the walls, filling the lungs of others. While it saved people from making a crater-shaped impact at the bottom of the deep, newly formed ravine, it also hit like a freight train as it slammed into bodies, spinning them under a violent surge of waves and swirling currents until they either drowned or managed to push themselves to the surface.
"Long Island ice tea, or some mixed drink. It is going to be a long night." She looks to Lili and Aolani and nods her head. "More than just a little. She has her ways but all the sisters when they fight making the islands tremble and the people on them cry." She pulls out some money from a hidden pocket from what she wears beneath the skirt and holds it out to Joachim. "Here you go. I can buy both. Strong would be good, the stronger the better." She says softly. She looks over at Noah. "Siblings fight, it is what they do." Healani is about to say more when the cold, creeps out and runs its fingers down her spine. Goosebumps appear on her skin. She shivers and turns her head towards where she feels the cold radiating from. Her eyes narrow when she sees the figure. Then the shaking starts and she goes down as fishers open up beneath her and it swallows her whole. The money she is holding is lost and fall with her like leaves in the wind. She tumbles with the sand and falls rolling into the deep crack in the earth. She with a thud she finds herself self lost. As she comes crashing down into the water that is below. It greats her like a long lost lover. The brace pulls at her body. She finds herself inhaling at the wrong moment as she hits the water. She is coughing and struggling to the surface. The water swirls around her bodies crash into her then she finds the surface. Air, sputtering and coughing she sucks it in greedily.
Lili grinned up at Noah as he stood, her smile growing broader as he explained the concept of KISS. She nodded, then turned her head to look at the green figure presumably wearing seaweed, but as she spotted them, the earth gave way from beneath her. Her attempt to save herself didn't really do much, as her hand slipped, and she fell down, shock too much the forefront of her emotional reaction for her to do much more than let out a yelp of sheer alarm. She had a moment to breath, just one, though, before the massive wall of the incoming water hit her solidly like a tumbling wave of bricks. With her mouth open, she sucked in a mighty lungful of water as she rolled through the water, being tossed around like a rag doll. When she finally managed to claw her way to the surface, some of the flowers from her wreaths and headpiece were floating past in the deluge, and she was coughing in heavy, ragged, throat tearing bursts as she spit water up from the deeper recesses of her lungs. As the water slammed Lili up against the wall of the chasm, she tried to cling to it, but was swept past, moving with the swirl, but at least keeping her head above water enough to avoid death.
Aolani smiles to Healani and chuckles, nodding in emphatic agreement. But before she can react, Healani, Lili, and Noah go crashing into the newly formed ravine with other party-goers. Aolani's instincts kick in time to let the hula dancer leap to safety, but as she sees so many of her fellow celebrants dragged under the grasping currents, the brown-haired hapa-haole kicks instinct to the curb and...dives into the tidal wave.
As the tidal wave drags Aolani down and fills her lungs with salt water, she swims deeper still and thrusts her fist through the veil between this world and the Nevernever, ripping open a drain to funnel the water away from the people gasping for breath...herself included, now.
Joachim grinned and looked to Robin. "You should get acquainted with Universal's best." He shook his head and shrugged. "Dunno why. Other than dressing weird they aren't causing trouble really. He smiled at Rick, raising an eyebrow at Kirk's comment and gesturing towards the dancing party goers. "Well... pretty hard to find the one without the other. I could lend you some books though if you want. I mean... if you don't know how to interpret hula it's just a nice dance right?" Looking to Healani, he raised an eyebrow an nodded. "Gotcha. Probably stay longer than me by the sound of it." He shrugged, doing fine until the earth opened up beneath them. In shock and surprise he leapt back, a pair of tawny wings exploded from his back, flapping frantically to keep him up above the chasm. Staring daggers at the two, he watched as Aolani dived into the water and vanished, a hand outstretched. "Not a chance you bastards!" From below, in the chasm, there was a rumble as the earth began to suddenly rise beneath the struggling swimmers, making it that much easier to get out of the water. He landed on the ground, poised for another strike.
As the levels of the earth rose up under the water, it provided a somewhat water-logged surface for people to put feet on, allowing them to get their heads above water, if they weren't unconscious or already floating face down.
Robin nods to Joachim with a grin, and looks back to the one in green. Whatever he was about to say was lost in the sudden creation of a ravine practically at his feet, and it was merely luck that he kept him from falling in like so many of the other partiers. He mutters something in Chinese, something distinctly not nice, but then the water comes and he quickly takes several steps back as parts of the edge are washed away. Robin glances around, eyes wide, and then dashes off away from the beach. A lifeguard shack is his destination, and after trying the door, he ends up smashing the window. A few minutes later, he reappears outside the shack, carrying a number of life preservers and a few foam kickboards. The young man runs flat out back towards the giant hole in the beach.
Rick doesn't have much time to do anything else before that earthquake hits, and the fissure opens up in the ground. "Shit!" he exclaims, jumping back to avoid falling in. Some others, of course, are not so lucky, and when the water comes it makes it even worse. As though falling in a hole wasn't bad enough. He wastes no time -- or at least, not much more than a split second -- before he launches into the water as well. Once he's in, he strikes out toward Healani, catching her under the arms once she resurfaces. Or attempting to, anyway. Unless she objects. "I got you!" he calls.
Kirk starts when the two figures emerge and start casting. Instinct tells him that it's time to be ready. Being dressed like that is rarely an indicator of good intentions. And he's right. That awareness is what saves him when the ground starts to open up. The gaping wound cutting close to where he stands. Enough that he almost stumbles back into the gap. But he manages to heave himself forward, stumbling several steps before he rights himself,
His eyes dart side to side, taking in the situation before he takes a deep breath and draws his hands together before himself. It comes easier than before. Yet there is something harder about this than before. He wants to do more. The air between his hands swirls into a vortex, a spot to focus on before he extends his will outward. Moments later the wind all around starts to move. His eyes snap upward and much of the rising chaotic force is bent at the two figures. Their robed forms ripe for being plucked at. Fingers of wind scrabbling. The width of the effect takes a tole, spear starting to break out at once on his forehead.
For the good that pointing did, Noah's foot slipped into the fissure right as it opened and followed right after it. The man downright face planted in the face, picking it up just in time to get smacked full force by the rush of water, and get tossed in the wash cycle. By the time he surfaced, he was coughing and slapping at the water as it pulled and ground him against the edge. Still, coughing for breath, his sclera had completely inked over black. "Lee--" The man coughed as he looked around for the other that took the dive as well, though there was confuse as why there was more people diving in. When the ground underneath him rose up, he took the opportunity to dig into the wall and lock his hand there. "Use me to climb up--" The man's words strained as he coughed yet again.
The little, private cove behind Paradise Cove had become a screaming, maddened sort of location, filled with people screaming, running away. Some people moved to lay over the edge of the chasm to try to call down into the dark where people had fallen.
The figure dressed in dark gray turned his attention toward the tiki torches that were left over. Darkness came up around one of the stronger flames, enshrouding it, then snuffing it out even as wind buffeted the area.
The figure in green turned toward one of the larger fire formations, then cut his arm to the right. Water came up out of the ground under the fire and spouted into the air, causing it to die with a hiss as acrid smoke floated and whirled in the whipping eddies of air.
Down in the gulch, the water levels were getting lower as a vortex came into being, much like at the bottom of a tub. People that were now conscious enough to stand were able to keep their head and shoulders fully out of the water as it started to calm down, the insane waves and heavy pressure of it mostly losing its energy as it finally came to equilibrium and simply filled the bottom of the deep gulch.
Lili managed to swing her way through the water and land firmly against Noah, still sputtering and coughing. As she looked to the upper ridge of the ravine that had been created and spotted the figure clothed in green and seaweed, it was like someone lit a match. The mark on the back of her shoulder burst to life, a violent, dancing little ball of flame behind her. Lifting her hand, she rubbed her fingers and thumb together, creating a warped heat-effect, before sparks danced around her fingertips and fire leapt up from the ground around the Green figure. She wasn't at her best, though, and the fire didn't really manage to catch on anything the somewhat sodden figure wore. When she turned her eyes to Noah, they were nothing but roiling balls of liquid fire in her face, and she looked decidedly perturbed. "I'm gonna kill this son of a bitch." Her voice was nothing more than grousing, really, as she'd missed. And a Lili that misses is an unhappy Lili indeed.
Aolani was able to find footing on the shelf of earth Joachim lifted in the center of the ravine, enough to see that everyone who wasn't already drowned was able to keep their heads above water. Satisfied, she dives once more into the water and seals the doorway into the Nevernever, closing off the vortex she isn't willing to leave unattended. But as the water levels stabilize, Aolani doesn't resurface. Only her pareo, pa'u and leis float back to the surface, as a small, solid form rockets up out of the ravine into the sky, the pueo owl hooting once to make its presence known to anyone who might notice such things.
As the lights were going out, Joachim spread his wings and rushed forwards, crashing into the dark figure to try and send him down into the watery hole with the others. The man was far too quick on his feet too, and Joachim landed in a rush, turning on his feet to face them again.
The first quarter moon, tracing a nearby wisp of cloud in silver, sinks below the western horizon. The stars sparkle in the ultramarine sky, distant and serene.
The few people that had lost their battle with the fall into the gulch were floating, quiet, almost serene in the water that was now only fed by the waves coming in off the cove. Most people at the top had run away, some crying out that they'd get help. Most just screaming in panic. Once a gulch opens, it tends to thin the herd, and then once magic starts being thrown around, well, mass exodus of all able bodied, mostly sane, humans tends to follow suit, as it did tonight.
The brace is not fun in the water. Healani now able to keep her head above and not drown. shivers. The flowers have been pulled from her hair and the leave are now tangled in her hair. The lays around her neck have been pulled off. Her feet are firmly beneath her. Her eyes are distant as she watches. Then something solid has her. She her and she can stay upright. Something warm. "Thank you." She gasps out to Rick. She blinks hard. A shiver travels up and down her spine. She coughs up some more water and calls out. "You fucking bitch!" This is called out to the air or perhaps the sister that had her minions do this.
Robin came running right up to the edge of the new ravine, and yelled down. "Heeey! Life preservers!" He tossed down the kick boards first though, followed by a couple of life preservers. The third preserver he grabbed has its rope secured around his waist. "Here, someone take this one, I'll pull you up. Someone?" He spots Healani and Rick below, and lets fly with the life preserver. Which promptly sails over Healani's head, leaving the rope hanging down between her eyes. "Woops, sorry!"
The tide is low and slack.
Once the water stabilizes, Rick at least doesn't need to tread water or anything, and he plants his feet firmly at the bottom. "You okay?" he asks, his voice louder than normal due to the chaos around them, though his concern is evident. His mind hasn't gone to where hers has, so he doesn't reply to the epithet -- he will probably get there once he's not busy with the immediate. "Let's get the hell out of here," he says, and he kneels down then, getting his hands ready to boost her up and out.
Kirk observes even as he holds the miasma of wind that swirls around the area. Watching as events happen. He takes note of Joa's attempt to bull rush the dark figure. Which ends with a miss. But he seems intent to help. With the wind already at his beck and call, he snaps his hands together, fingers laced. A low grunt rolling in his throat as he pulls in the swirling winds. In a rush they converge on the dark figure. His attempts to evade for naught as he finds himself hemmed in from all sides by a tight cocoon of powerful, yet controlled wind. "Stay still," he murmurs, eyes narrowed.
Noah coughed up a bit more water, "Lee, get out of the water..." The man kicked at the wall of the crevice until he found a solid foothold and halted himself up and out of it. Once he was at the top, he rolled his legs out. Dangling his arm over to help others up.
The stars in the east begin to look washed out as the sapphire night sky pales.
The dark figure seems to have a small problem with being entrapped by the sheath of whirling air Kirk put up around it, and when it turned to face the caster, the sheer malevolence that radiated from it was palpable. So much so, that it seemed to manifest in the form of a whip of sickly, green substance that rushed forward at Kirk. When it hit the cushion of air Kirk had formed around himself, it pressed on, fighting against the blocking whirlwind, until that noxious, green faded to nothing and seemed to disappear, just as the wind of the blocking force died out.
From the side of the cavernous gulch, the figure in Green looked down at Lili, the one that had attempted to light him aflame. The head under the massive robes cocked to the side, and then its hand came up, clenched like a fist, which caused the water to surge around Lili like a violent wave had just taken hold. It struck her hard, and with a sound of crushing, slapping, and grinding it tossed her handily against the wall of the gulch, attempting to drown her anew.
The tide is low and rising.
Lifting her good foot up Healani places it in hand for that boost out. "Thank you Rick," the cursing is not focused at you. "I swear Namakaokahai , is the biggest bitch. Pele is not much better. This is ridiculous, those two have been fighting for a long time." She says this as she waits for him to finish . When he helps boost her out she grabs hold of the sand pulls herself out the rest of the way. Each movement causes her to cough. Water comes out of her lungs. There are a few false starts and then she is able to get out. Using her arms she drags herself away from the opening. She gasps and coughs. Her eyes narrow. Then there is anger and more than just a little annoyance.
Lili coughed and made a sound of complete frustration and impotent rage as she was crashed against the side of the ravine and water pummeled her. Looking up at Noah, she scanned where he'd managed to climb, then used the holes he left behind to boost herself up until she had a solid hold on his hand. After that, it was a matter of climbing up the man somewhat like a grateful monkey. Lili didn't stop until she was at solid sand again, and she crawled over and then off of Noah to leave his open hand waiting for other people if they needed it. On all fours over the sand, she heaved and coughed as more water spilled from her lungs and stomach, the last of her flowers falling out of her crowning wreath and into the puddle of muddled water in the sand under her.
Aolani whirls through the sky without a single sound, the owl having gone deadly silent after her single hoot to announce her presence. The bird streaks through the sky, and seizes her moment when the entrapping winds fade from around the dark figure. The bird swoops like a bullet, extending her wicked talons at the last minute to create the most...impactful first impression upon the figure before soaring upwards and out of reach.
Pink-gold light gilds the land as the sun creeps over the eastern horizon into a cloudless blue sky.
As the dark robed figure was battered about by magics, Joachim saw the owl out of nowhere swoop in and go for the caster's eyes, harrowing and distracting them. Joachim snarled, grinning viciously at the bird. "Thanks for that!" He came in hard, slamming his hands together to create a silent reverberation, entropic energies swirling around his hands. He hit the dark figure with both, one coming in to crash into his stomach, the other slamming into his chest, as entropic magic was poured into the figure, breaking the molecular bonds that held them together.
With the distinct lack of people needing the life preserver, Robin pulls the rope from his waist, and looks around. Three people ... two people and a bird that is, taking the fight to the dark figure. And in the other corner, the green figure seems to have the upper hand. And that is whom Robin turns to. "Hey. Aren't you supposed to stay in the sea?", he says to the green figure as he walks towards him. "Pele is going to be upset, to say the least, when she sees what you've done to the people celebrating her." The young man's eyes flash green and he extends his arm out towards the green robed figure. "Someone smack him, please..."
The sun climbs into a brilliant blue sky.
"Glad you don't think I'm a bitch," Rick says with a little grin, despite the situation -- it looks a lot more strained than usual, of course, but at least it's still there. Once Healani is safely out, he gets a handhold on the side and hauls himself up, getting a foot into a little divot in the newly made hole to help him out as well. He gets out in relative haste, and when he does he looks around, getting his bearings a little bit before he does anything else -- or tries to.
Kirk finds his target is fighting back, breaking the grip he has on it. "Damn," he curses under his breath. He snaps up both hands as he sees an assault coming from the dark figure. Drawing on the winds to pull then into a tight vortex about himself, howling like a compact hurricane as it scatters the lashing whip of decay before swirling away. His teeth grinding, sweat still on his brow as he extends himself in swatting away the dark figure's attempt to return in kind for the grapple. "A little help!" Called out without looking away. "I don't know how long I can hold this.. thing." Is it a person? Perhaps. Perhaps not. His eyes narrow as he studies them. Recalls what has happened. The taste of their magic, so to speak. "I don't know what these are, but I know they're not human," he concludes. "They attacked this gathering with intent. Because of what it represents." More an educated guess, but he seems confident in that.
Noah hauled Lili up with a heavy groan, falling into another coughing fit as he stood up. Spitting on the ground, he exhaled a laugh, "I think I may have to murder someone, Lee..." Taking a limp forward, he growled the next couple of steps until his hip wanted to move correctly. Once it did, he leapt forward and locked his hands on the dark figure. The dark figure shrieked until it could rip away from Noah's grab, sickly tar-like tendrils pulling from its skin, leading back to Noah's hands. The inky dropped to the ground, melting with the contact with the earth, causing the nearby plants to wilt. "Yeah... You better run." His attention turned to the green-clad figure, "Guess you're next, bud."
As a victim of multiple attacks, the Dark Figure turned his head this way and that, letting out a weird combination of strangely manly shrieks and grunts. It turned on its heels and started at a mad dash toward the water, and not down the beach where it had come from. No, it definitely wanted to get to the sea.
After the initial fire attack failed, and then Lili managed to climb up out of the chasm, the Green Figure seemed to be facing her general direction, until Robin brought attention to himself, insisting the creature was going to engender Pele's wrath. The Green Figure shuddered, then lifted its arm toward Robin in a disturbing sort of mocking mimicry of what Robin was doing. Sickly green, a tangible force began eating at the air around Robin, sticking as it stuck to his skin and peeled away the first layer of flesh everywhere it managed to touch, like a low level acid scrub.
Healani still on the ground snarls and starts to curse at the sky in Hawaiian between coughs as she continues to clear out her lungs. Coughing is a good thing.
Healani says, in Hawaiian, "Really all this over a guy. You are the eldest start acting better and quit crashing parties and stepping on the toes of the other gods and Demi gods. I swear you need to learn. This is not executable. You are acting like a bitch and killing others. Get over it. You have plenty to give offerings to you and respect you. This is stupid. Yes I did just call you stupid and a Fucking bitch. I know I was crashing, but I am polite about it."
Lili looked up from where she'd been emptying her lungs, her eyes tracking as they burned bright and vicious. She gave Noah a dark, lopsided grin, then nodded to him. "Kill him then... Hey. HEY! NO, oh hell NO you nasty thing, you don't get to fucking run!" As it broke away from Noah and started off to the water, Lili flopped back onto her ass and lifted her hand to rub her fingertips together along the pad of her thumb. "How about, you burn for me instead?" The little flame at the back of her shoulder danced riotously a moment before the Dark Figure suddenly burst alight in fire, like an explosion happened from underneath its robes. It caught fast, as if it'd been doused in some sort of accelerant, and it burned almost white hot as it ran a couple more steps, then fell to its knees. The scent of melting polyester fabric and then the stronger, more pungent stench of burned flesh started to fill the wisps of breeze that came in from the ocean as acrid, black, smoke plumed up from the now still creature. The fire didn't even begin to dim until the thing was nothing but a smoldering pile of incinerated bone fragments and grease smeared on the sand.
Aolani wheels high over head and lets out a hoot of triumph as the dark figure incinerates to grease. The bird sets its amber-eyed gaze on the Green figure and tucks its wings close, to gain as much momentum and speed as she can, making a beeline for where the creature's face should be. The bird extends its talons at the last moment, a frenzy of feather and claw drawing the creature's attention.
Joachim watched as Noah came straight for the dark figure, striking it with horrid energies and forcing it to flee. Even as he began preparing to do something about that he watched as the dark figure was handily incinerated by Lili. With a laugh he shook his head, his eyes following Owlani the harrier bird to their next and final target. He grinned at the flying owl as it swooped by. "Wow... you are like the best bird ever." Then he was inhaling, drawing on an electrical current running through him to power the blast of plasma that came roaring form his mouth in a rush, striking the figure in green and washing them over with roiling energy.
Robin keeps his hand up, even as he watches the green stuff begin to peel away his skin. "Fascinating and exquisite. I see you have done this dance before." He coughs wetly and his eyes flash again. "However, you are out of friends. And we are not." The young man grins. "I think I can speak for many here by saying... for PELE!"
Once Rick has looked around enough to figure out what's going on, he takes a couple steps toward Healani, crouching down by her. That's about when she starts speaking, though -- and while he may not understand exactly what she's saying, the tone is probably universal. His eyes widen as he sits back on his heels, whatever he might have said stopped by what she's doing. Eventually, though, he does recover. "You okay?" he asks, the concern still evident. "We gotta get you looked at." Oh, is there someone else throwing magical water at people? Oh well.
Emboldened by the lack of humanity in these.. Things, Kirk's expression firms as his hands draw together in a swirling motion, drawing a nugget of stirred wind to him. Cultivating it briefly before he lashes out with a hand. Slashing with curled fingers. The nugget of swirling wind going with that hand and taking shape to match the slashing movement. Visible eddies of focused wind cut across the robed figure. Four long slashes seeking to obliterate the robe and dig into what flesh these things have beneath. All the better if Kirk can get a better look at what they really are.
Noah coughed and spit on the ground once as he ran over to the Green Figure, grabbing him by the seaweed belt. The green figure exhaled a long breath as it dropped to its knees. When its head fell forward, black ooze poured in three solid trickled from what most have been its eyes and mouth. The creature didn't make a sound as Noah let go, ripping what must have been black tendrils that reach through the green figure's core muscles to its face. Coughing once more, Noah took a deep breath, and started back towards Lili.
The wind suddenly began to howl, like a violent, buzzing insect that hit a high power energy line and fought it instead of just dying. The stars that shimmered off the surface of the ocean and out in the cove started to distort as a wave began to build. Higher, then higher still, until the crystalline blue water of the Pacific blotted out the stars as the 30 foot tall crest of it foamed and feathered white droplets into the night against the sky. The wave was coming directly for the cove that the party had been in. And when it hit the waters of the cove itself, the water sucked back, feeding into the height, and leaving the sand bare for over 100 feet. Fish flopped around without the source of air or buoyancy, hopping about on the still damp sand, trying to find their way back into the salty water, but it had left them behind.
From where she is on the ground Healani watches after she shouts up at the sky. Then she sees the ocean taking a deep breath pulling the water towards the towering waves heading towards the cove. "Get off the Beach incoming pissed off goddess." She shouts, then sits and waits "Run to high ground get out of here.". Watching, patiently for the wave to come. "Good now lets talk." She closes her eyes and waits. She knows what is coming.
The tide is high and rising.
Aolani has the good sense to move away from the green figure before Joachim illustrates the finer physics of plasma, the bird flapping up into the night sky. From her airborn vantage point, the bird spots the Divine Tsunami coming. She dives, making a noisy cacophony of hoots and swooping around everyone she's close enough to get the attention of - and with an outstretched talon, the Pueo owl rips a doorway into the Nevernever and holds it open, continuing her noisy invitation as long as she can before she, too, has to escape through the rift and close it behind her.
Lili let out a surprised sound as the wave began rising... and rising. "Oh my Akua..." Shock had her fiery eyes wide, her jaw dropping open. A moment later her eyes bled back to their usual dark blue, and the joyfully flickering little flame at the back of her shoulder puffed out, allowing a little cloud of smoke up into the air as it became just a brand in the shape of flame again. As Aolani opened up the doorway, a tear into the NeverNever, not all that far from her, Lili looked up at the owl and gave it a smile filled with gratitude. "You sexy ass bitch." She pushed shaking limbs to force herself to stand, then called out hoarsely to Noah. "NOAH! Hurry, Ao made a door! GET OVER HERE!" She finished her sentence while moving to the doorway herself, coughing, more fluid coming up out of her lungs. Stepping into the doorway and then turning, Lili stood facing out to watch and make sure people could make it, ready to reach out and drag them through if she had to.
Joachim didn't have to be told twice at the sight of the giant tidal wave, blanching as he turned and started sprinting towards the open door into the nevernever. He was sprinting headlong and as soon as he got to the portal he dove through, nodding to Lili as he went by.
Robin lowers his hand as the green figure tumbles, and lets out a long breath. "Well. That wasn't so bad. I had thought Hawaii wouldn't have the same... oh now what?" The sea drew back and then came rumbling in. As people made for higher ground, or a certain nevernever portal, Robin turned and made his way to the portal and through. "Don't mind if I do.", the young man says with a tip of his hat.
When Healani calls this out, but then sits down...Rick's eyes widen, and not only that, but his eyebrows threaten to levitate right off his head. "What the hell?!" he exclaims. "You're not going?" He glances briefly over his shoulder toward where the others are tumbling through the porthole that Aolani has created, before looking back between Healani and the imminent wave, now with a helpless expression. But he does not run; instead, he takes a couple quick steps toward her, reaching down in an attempt to grab her, unless she pulls away, and bracing himself.
Kirk is satisfied as the final enemy falls. But then he notes the gathering water. The rise of it, to a scale daunting to any but the most oblivious or foolish. Even so, his eyes dart for a path out. Trying to estimate the best direction to go when the portal to the NeverNever opens. There is no better path. He frowns, but turns and darts for the portal. Nearer than high ground for certain. Slowing just a bit to move through without charging too recklessly into the unknown. "Thank you." Offered before he vanishes through.
Noah gave this confused look, an expression generally reserved for individuals chasing punctuality obsess leporidae. This was an owl ripping a hole in the world. The man coughed again as he hurried to the doorway and headed into it.
The doorway to the NeverNever closed then, leaving Rick and Healani alone on the beach with the impending Tsunami.
"Rick you should go! Get out of here, I did this go. I know the gods. Get out of here, while you can." Healani shouts at him. "Get out of here." She says to him. "Go this appeases, and hopefully will create a little peace. Just for a little bit. Go." She does not pull away but Healani is telling him where he should go. She has opened her eyes again. She blinks and turns her head towards the approaching wave. There is a calculated look in her eye. "Trust me."
Rick doesn't move -- he just waits. It is probably one of the stupider decisions in a life of a man who is not exactly a rocket scientist. But still. "I can't just leave you here to die," he says, shaking his head once. "I don't need your ghost hanging around the beach when I try to come out here next time." And despite the wave that's literally about to crash onto them, he manages a very faint smile. "Plus I can't run that fast on sand, so it's too late now. I'm not going."
The sound of the wave coming in became deafening, as did the wind blowing off of it. As it started to hit, the earth actually shook like it was going to break apart. The roaring, impossibly loud impact of the initial crest wasn't even there yet, just the base of the wave hitting into the beach, kicking up sand and churning it in the lower third of the wave.
"It will not be, I was and am who I am. Go, death and gods are something that I understand. Trust me please and allow me this one small peace of piece." She tells him. "Go, you need to go. Please run." She repeats herself. "You need to do this. This is stupid, it is up there with me telling the goddess where to shove it and how she has no manners." She shakes her head and closes her eyes again as she reaches out to try and find a weak spot but she cannot find it. She shakes her head. "It is not weak enough here, I cannot find the right spot." She murmurs. "Rick time for you run." She is shouting now she she can be heard above the roar of the waves.
The color drains from Rick's face as the wave starts to bear down on him, and he shivers once, with what feels like real fear. Maybe he is afraid of dying after all, even though he sees death wherever he goes. But that doesn't feel right, and of course, he doesn't have time to explain, even if he'd had the inclination. However, he still doesn't move. "Well, no one ever said I was smart," he murmurs, and he doesn't let go, instead closing his eyes and turning his back on the water, as though he could shield her from it.
When the wave hit, it was like being blown away by a high-pressure jet engine. The air hit first, like a cushion, or maybe more like an airbag as it physically lifted both Rick and Healani off the ground. Luckily, for the two of them, Rick's inherent understanding of how the ocean moved, how it flowed, had them rolling properly under as the water itself finally struck against them, submerging them entirely.
It was a wild ride, lasting for no more than 30 seconds to a minute. Whirling, moving, spinning, jostling, and for a moment there might have been the thought that they were on the ground, until the sensation of being passed over the hoods and roofs of cars in the parking lot could be felt. The wave water started to recede, and as it did, sweet, sweet air was available to breathe again. Rick and Healani were laying on the hood of a car in the parking lot, several hundred feet from where they'd started the journey.
The wave hits and she feels the air being pulled from her lungs by the weight of the impact. The only grace is Rick knowing how to ride the ocean and the wave or she would have been crushed. Tossed and thrown about like a stone being carried away by current and finally laid to rest on some distant shore. In this case the hood of a nice 2007, cherry red Honda Accord. She lays there on her back. Her hair a tangled mess. Her clothing torn and wrapped and her left ankle brace missing. She coughs and coughs as the sweet air touches her lungs. She lays there for a moment amazed she was still breathing. "Okay, I got the point. You win!" She calls out to the air in Hawaiian. She turns her head to see I Rick is alive.
It is quite the harrowing journey. All Rick can do is hold on and let it happen -- any attempt to move in some other way could very well kill him, and perhaps her, too. But it has to end sometime, and when it does, it's a shock. Once the water recedes, he's left gasping, staring up at the sky. For a moment //he's// not quite sure if he's all right, but a quick assessment shows him that there is somehow, miraculously, no permanent damage. Will wonders never cease. He turns to look at Healani, meeting her eyes, just as a fit of coughing overtakes him, too. It's not the most attractive thing in the world to be hacking all over her, but hopefully she can forgive him. Eventually, though, he manages to get it under control, and the hacking turns into a laugh. "Fuck that," he rasps out. "//We// won."
As the others are in the NeverNever, the following happens:
The NeverNever - Unstable Island
An idyllic tropical island, the sun is shining, the birds are singing and the sky is blue... and there is an awful lot more of it than there should be. The land shifts and bobs as though it were floating on the sea but in fact the sea is several hundred feet straight down, as anyone will find out if they go to look over the edge. Just above, confused seagulls hoot and wheel, occasionally flying beneath in an effort to work out where the coast has gone.
In the middle of the island is a single palm tree, with all the leaves pointing vertically upwards, the tree itself groans and strains, the wood creaks and the roots convulsively cling to the ground. Maybe this isn't paradise after all. The danger of this area is made clearer when a stray gust from somewhere below rocks the island sharply to one side, the tree cracking and popping with the sudden shift. The island slaps back down to level, with the thunderous sound of crashing waves. This happens over and over, randomly.
As Aolani was able to close the portal to the NeverNever, the sound of the crashing wave coming to hit upon the earth was suddenly cut off. And those that had passed through the portal found themselves solidly within the NeverNever.
Robin comes to a stop when everything has finished... changing. He looks around at the sudden change from night into day. "Hmm. My guess is that we're not in Kansas any more, Toto? And here I left the ruby slippers at home today."
Kirk moves to the side, scanning the area quickly. It looks.. Inoffensive. For now. Good enough for a rest. He sinks down to his knees, breathing out as the sounds of danger fade. HIs eyes closing. When Robin speaks, be answers without opening his eyes. "The NeverNever. We should not stay here too long, but long enough for a breather." Which he is taking advantage of.
Noah coughed as he stepped over. As he looked around he just got more confused as to where he was. His eyes still jet black orbs as he listened to Kirk and gave a slight nod. "So Peter Pan land... I think I'll take it over a tsunami." He looked to Robin, "You don't strike me as someone from Kansas. You lack that childish glee us middle Mainlanders get when we see open water." Raising his fist, he coughed into the back of his hand, and let out a broken chuckle, "You still in one piece, Lee?"
Lili slumped down onto the sandy cover of the... island?... they were on. Looking around, she blinked her eyes against the harsh sun and the strangeness of being on an island with no water around it, just sky. "Uh... Ok. So we traded one island with too much wave coming for an island with no wave at all?" She looked over at Noah and blinked, nodding her head. "Yeah, ko'u aloha, I'm... all in one piece, but I feel like there's extra in there somewhere there shouldn't be." Lili crawled over toward Noah, using his leg and arm to stand up so she could lean against him, rubbing her aching chest where water and salt had infused her lungs a bit. As the island shifted under them, though, Lili let out a surprised scream and fell to the ground, digging her hands and feet into the sand to hold on for dear life as the unstable platform rocked, then went back to flat, causing a sound of waves where there were no waves to splash. "WHAT THE FUCK?!"
Aolani waits until the last person who comes through the rift who seems to be coming, giving a concerned hoot after Healani and Rick before the pueo owl glides through the tear in worlds herself. Facing the doorway, she gives a thunderous clap of her wings and the portal sealed itself, preventing the crashing wave from following through. The bird alights on the ground and tucks its head beneath its wings.
In a flash of vibrant red light and the overwhelming scent of Lehua blossoms, the bird's form quivers and grows, feathers vanishing into smooth skin until the pueo's shape returns to its home in the bright red Polynesian tattoo spreading across the human Aolani's back and shoulders, inked wings wrapped around her arms in a close embrace. The hapa-haole woman is crouched where she landed, until she looks up from behind her folded arms and smiles a human smile under amber eyes. Unfolding her limbs, Aolani stands and smiles, droplets of salt water still clinging to her bronzed skin, her naked dancer's body glistening under the warm Nevernever sun. "I'm never getting to borrow a costume ever again," she says with a sideways wink at Lili and a laugh, which makes her cough up a fresh gob of saltwater. "Is everyone okay? At least relatively?" She looks about, getting her bearings, then nods to Kirk. "A rest is very, very welcome. If we need to leave in a hurry, I can guide us out, but I can't open another portal for a while so it'll have to be the old fashioned way." She kicks up a bare foot and laughs again. And coughs up a little bit more salt water. "Namakokahai has really started something this time. Honestly, is any man worth -this- much strife between sisters?"
When the island lurches, Aolani stumbles to a knee. "OH, you have GOT to be kidding me!" The naked hula dancer sighs and slaps a hand to her forehead. "Everybody rest up, looks like it's going to be a bumpy ride."
Joachim stepped through looking startled, half ducking at the sound of crashing waves disappearing behind them. He looked about, frowning as he didn't spot Rick or Healani. And then the world was tilting and he had bigger problems. "Oh wow holy shit!" His wings fluttered as he fought to maintain his balance. He ran a hand through his hair, peering over the side and stepping back. "Well damn... this is... really different from the last time I was through here." He sighed, looking around for the owl, and blinking as she became a human, his eyebrows going up at the sight. He nodded to her. "Thanks... much appreciated." When the island lurched, he grunted and moved to steady himself. "Well hell, let's ride this thing all the way to Narnia, why not?"
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