For those early risers on the island, the weather was almost perfect no matter where they were. For the most part, there weren't even clouds out today, and the sky stretched in a perfect, brilliant blue. It was likely a shock for those not used to the Island life to realize that Thanksgiving was only a couple of days away. For those that lived on the island, though, they'd taken the time to do some decorating, though it was in decidedly Hawaiian fashion, with none of the mainland turkeys and and pilgrims. Nope, instead the holiday decoration included flowers, blooms everywhere. Most of them in pots that have been placed on either side of every doorway, or hung from the eaves near windows. The result was the sweet scent of bright, Hawaiian flowers mixing in with the brush of warm wind coming from the ocean.
Mila is out with Volya on the beach, the two sitting in side-by-side, low-slung, comfy looking beach chairs with a cooler between them. They're facing the ocean but neither of them looks as though they've been in it so far today. Villam, from the look of the footprints in the sand, has walked up to them to talk, and the three of them are currently exchanging pleasantries while the two ladies sit and eat take-out from Roy's barbeque for breakfast.
Volya laughed, sending a ball of pork onto her arm which just sent her into more giggles. "You are not supposed to be there." There was nothing delicate and picked it off her arm and popped it back into her mouth to chew it thoroughly, smacking her lips all the while until she swallowed it done. Then straightening her neck, and adjusting her posture, chin up and offered a smile to Mila. "I wreak havoc wherever I go. It's the only way the world manages it's balance." Looking back up at Villam, she arched at eyebrow. "Serious... Roy's... It's like a couple hundred feet that way, dude. It's delicious."
Volya was dressed in a twopiece, the top vibrant blue top had decided to be more of connected tasslers and the bottoms were floss. Her left thigh was wrapped in gauss.
Naturally, Mila had dressed for the beach and come out barefoot, with her muscled legs free of clothing. She just had on a quite brief set of bikini bottoms in washed out army green and a strapless, bandeau style bikini top the color of sweet cream that didn't really look like it had fastened, but was simply one solid, 2 inch wide tube of fabric that fit her snugly enough to be a bikini top. Her long, bleached out hair was left down, catching the soft breeze every so often as it danced by. She had a foil-wrapped bo bun in her hands and was taking happy, solid bites from it, enjoying the hell out of the still steaming-hot breakfast if the little murmur of delight was any indication. When Volya had the moment of food loss onto her arm, Mila snickered softly, but it turned into a full out laugh as Volya laid claim to her mass havok abilities. "You're right, V. And when you're right you're right, heaven forbid anyone get you huhu." She looked over at Villam and flashed him a wolfish smile. "I can entirely vouch for the meal, but I say go for the buns, not the straight pork like V here, because the buns are really yum and he does them in this awesome rice flour. As long as you can abide by plant-infanticide."
Conni is out for a walk, her being up this early having totally nothing to do with a hangover...honest. The sunglasses she wears are purely there against the harsh sunlight this morning, she is also wearing an oversized white t-shirt with the Athena logo emblazoned across the chest. Her right arm is setup in a sling, the arm pressed across her body and immobilised. Across her hip she has a small belt, a waterproof pouch attached to the side, her phone and wallet visible within. Yellow bikini bottoms and a pair of sandals finish off the ensemble, that and the layers of sunblock that have been roughly rubbed into her skin, probably in a hurry. She sips from a bottle of water as she heads up the beach, peering over at the two figures in the chairs and then offering a cheerie wave when she sees who it is. "Hey there guys! Mind if I join you?" She certainly sounds more chipper than she looks, the Dane showing signs of a hangover that many tourists must share.
"Plant...infanticide? That is a new term for me, but the meat smells delicious. I will have to have some. And aloha," he says to Connie as she comes over. Silver eyes take in the sling. "Oh, dear. I hope that your arm isn't giving you any trouble?"
Volya glared at Mila, "That bun represents calories, calories that would require a hike up Ka'Ala to burn them off!" She held that stare for a long moment before erupting into giggles again, electing to pop more pork into her mouth. Leaning her head back, she swallowed down the pork and grinned at Conni. "Ahola! You and your six limbs are welcome to join us, Conni." She paused before looking back to Villam, shielding her mouth away from Conni with the foil filled with pork, though the whisper was thoroughly loud enough for everything to hear, "Her extra limbs are her penises..." The food lowered and she gave a solemn sagely nod to Villam before picking another hunk of pulled pork to put into her mouth, looking to innocent.
"I won't lie, it's the best meat on the island, hands down, hell even pants down." Mila nodded in wholehearted agreement that Villam should try Roy's. Conni's arrival got a wide smile from the muscled surfer as she lifted her arm into the air and threw a chaka for the sky-scraping blonde. "Aloha kakahiaka Conni!" Her happiness remained until she went to go take a bite of her food and blessedly wasn't hit while eating by the explosion of laughter that took her as Volya suggested Conni's anatomical complexities may be more than her little yellow bikini bottoms would hide. She attempted to look Conni over without smiling, but that was almost impossible, and was simply satisfied when she forced herself to stop laughing. "You really are quite the woman, Conni. Please, come sit. E komo mai!" Then she motioned to the cooler. "Want something besides water? Mostly juice and such, because it's too early to break out Volya's mead and still have a day." She looked at Villam. "Want anything?"
"I have vivid but also hazy memories of that night, I'm not sure just what went on so I apologise for going Japanese on you Volya." Conni doesn't look that sincere. "Aloha guys, it's good to see you're both well." She flashes them a warm smile and then looks over to Villam, her eyes glancing down to the sling before looking back to him. "It's nothing really, I just overdid it at the gym." This is quite possible, Conni is certainly 'built', having muscles to rival Mila's and making one glad she is wearing a bikini. Coming up to where the three of them are talking, Conni lets her legs fold under her until she is a semi-dignified puddle on the sand. "Thank you for the compliment Mila, I've certainly never had any complaints." She waggles her eyebrows and winks to Mila, finding some good humour even while hungover.
"Juice is fine, or water. I still think palinka would go well even just waking up in the morning," Villam says. Volya's assertion of Conni's status makes Villam's eyes raise, and he turns to look at the arm-injured woman very closely and admiringly. "Interesting. I hope that allof you had a lot of fun getting hurt--those are the best kinds after all. If not, well...I'd like to hear the stories."
Volya continued eating her pulled pork, stealing a few more bites before wrapping up half on it to put it into the cooler. Her fingers wiggled and hovered as she debated on a drink, grapping a water up a moment later to crack open. "BIZZZZ!" She scorned at the air, settling back down in her chair fully, before sighing away the tension. A grin appeared in short order, "Someone has to occupy the tentacles, so others may run away." A giggle shook her before she took a drink. "The landing was soft, so all the better." Humming, she picked opened the cooler, stealing out an orange juice to pass to Villam. "One hole, six people. I told you it was over capacity."
"Now I want to find out if this guy has video cameras on his farm." Mila grinned over at Volya for a moment, giving her a wink. She looked back over at Conni and nodded to her. "I feel like anyone that was foolish enough to complain would have been dead long before they got to the point they had anything to complain about, Conni." As Conni didn't accept anything from the cooler, Mila reached in and pulled out a bottle of Red Sports Juice that looked native, as the writing was decidedly asian. She then motioned between the OJ and in Volya's hand and the drink in her own. "Pick your poison... Brah." She blinked and looked at Villam, smiling. "Kala mai ia'u, I must have forgotten my manners with the thoughts of multiple organs. I'm Mila. This is V, and Conni. Do you prefer to be called anything other than Brah or 'Hey you'?"
"It was certainly an adventure." Conni says with a nod and a grin towards Villam. "A sweaty, terror filled adventure at times but they're the better ones." Conni unscrews the top from her bottle of water and then takes a sip, eyeing Volya as she speaks. "Soft...Oh yes, it was, wasn't it? Fond memories those and you'll be pleased to know that I can hear out of my left ear again now." She winks to Volya and then spends a moment regarding her, apparently deep in thought. "If he had cameras, I want the pay-per-view rights...I could use the pocket money. Also, thank you for the offer but I had Jane over last night and my head is still ringing."
"And someone has to be the tentacles to make such a sacrifice worthwhile, don't you think?" A cheerful grin to Volya. "And I suppose you also love Five Guys in your mouth?" To Conni, he nods. "Adventures are supposed to be filled with adrenaline, and more, the rush that leaves you writhing, gasping, panting for more, even when you ache all over." At Mila's introductions, he nods, "A pleasure to meet all of you ladies. Please call me Villam."
Volya grinned, watching Mila out the corner of her eye. "The meat man is the smooth operator that Keha finds every excuse to visit. She may have a better idea of the state of electronics on the farm." As she was introduced, she offered Villam a wiggling fingered wave and a smile. She blinked at Conni for a moment, before her mouth opened, "Oh right... Sorry about that. If it's any consolation, my hiking boots are gone and I have no plans to ever exhume them. And as for pay-per-view right, I think the real money with be in blackmail." Another giggle slipped out of her and she shook her head before leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes. "I have my sea creature, the tentacles will have to wait in line," she giggled offering the man a wave with an unopened orange juice. "Aloha Villam."
"Well then Aloha Villam." Mila greeted him properly by name, still sitting with the bottle of red drink in her hand, while waiting for him to choose. Of course, her other hand with breakfast in it was free to continue feeding her, and she took another bite of her food while she listened to those speaking. When volya mentioned having her sea creature and that the tentacles would have to wait in line, Mila snorted softly. "The tentacles will have to give you plenty of time to rest up, I'm sure." She grinned over at Volya and then glanced over to Conni. "Ohhh, yeah, the meat man. Dude gets more women on his farm than he has cattle, it's impressive. Keha just can't seem to find enough to study over there." She snickered and turned her attention to Villam. "Anything worth doing is worth losing muscle control over. So what is it you're doing here, you said something about a business, neh?"
"It's okay really." Conni says, waving a hand in a desultry fashion. "I don't really remember much, just dreams about wrestling in ancient times and then I had the Kielbasa song stuck in my head." Conni shakes her head, somewhat regretting the decision after she remembers the hangover. "Nice to meet you Villam!" She says, offering him what she can must of a cheery wave. At Mila's comment, Conni laughs, almost spilling some of her drink. "Yeah...I was wondering why she visited when I was there. Seemed a bit far in-land for her field of study. She did come up with a convincing reason why though."
It takes a moment, but Villam goes for water after all. "Yes. Opening a nightclub. Sure, yes, a touristy thing, but something I've wanted to do for a while. Called the 'Starless Skies'. Still deciding on the kind of music, but I definitely hope for a lot of...inhibitions to be tossed to the wind." He grins, then says, "I'll be right back. Get something to eat at Roy's."
Volya pulled out her hoodie to hang the hood over her head and shield her eyes from the sun. Scanning the area with her slitted eyes. "I'm rested... I'd fight again!" The woman threw her arms up in the air and cackling like a properly insane villain. Take a heavy breath, she settled down and took a drink of her water. Tilting her head, she stared at Conni. "Was this last night or the night at Wren's? I remember you called Mila, then the floor was jello, but it tasted like beeswax. It was awesome." A giggle slipped out of her as she chewed on her fingertip, thinking. She shook her head and smiled. "No really... Fertilizer gets carried by the rivers to the ocean and screws with the balance. Keha was telling me all about it." She gave Villam a wave and smiled.
Mila gave a wave to Villam as he headed over towards Roy's a bit up the beach. She looked over at Volya and nodded, before she turned to Conni and in affirmation to V's statement said "Exactly, Keha has had to study the run-off, and we've been using the information during our formal appeals to the state to ensure what's being used on the island can't cause further damage to the reef." Passion flared in Mila's eyes and she lowered the hand with her food to her lap, her rich brown eyes blazing with it. "You have no idea what a remarkable blow we dealt to the sunscreen companies when we were able to prove that their ingredients cause reef degredation. Now we just have to keep at it. We want the reef to improve markedly in health, but it takes a bunch of scientific evidence collected over the course of hundreds and hundreds of study hours." A slight smile lifted the corners of her mouth for a moment and then Mila chuckled. "I'm sure it doesn't hurt that she's enjoying going over there, but if he is causing problems for the reef, I bet you that man will get an earful, possibly a faceful."
"Yeah, that's it! The sleepover!" Conni takes another sip from her bottle, pondering the liquid as she thinks. "There was something about not mixing candys then I went to sleep in the spare room but when I woke up I was somewhere else. You're right though, things did smell of honey. I have to admit though, it was a very pleasant nights sleep, I don't think I've slept that well in a long time." A smile creeps over Conni's face as she thinks on this and then she turns to look to Mila as she talks about the reefs. "I think I mentioned this to Keha but if you ever want help moving fishermen from the reefs or just roughing people up, I'm your girl. I really don't mind and it's good to keep my hand in." Setting her bottle down, she peers after Villam as he heads up the beach. "I should have given him an order...the smell of that food is driving me nuts but laziness has set in alas." She shakes her head and then has to stifle a chuckle as Mila talks about Keha. "An ear full, then a face full. She's very passionate about it, as you are I can see. We had a long chat about the reefs when we went out drinking. Then she introduced me to Chi Chi and it went downhill from there."
Peter appears at the far end of the beach, swimming ashore and then running along the edge of the water. In one hand he holds a bodyboard, which he tosses into the water and jumps upon. He manages a few feet before being dumped into the shallow water. Laughing, the young man gets up to chase the board. His progress along the beach is slow.
It takes a little bit, but soon Villam is walking back from Roy's, with a rack of foil-wrapped falling-off-the-bone pork ribs. No sauce, just their own juices. "I return with carivores' ambrosia," he pronounces, taking one of the ribs out. Except it's just the bone, and he looks at the treacherous meat before picking the now boneless rib out with his fingers and taking a bite. "Anyhow, what sorts of things do you ladies do? Besides be lovely and passionate here on the beach?"
For those early risers on the island, the weather was almost perfect no matter where they were. For the most part, there weren't even clouds out today, and the sky stretched in a perfect, brilliant blue. It was likely a shock for those not used to the Island life to realize that Thanksgiving was only a couple of days away. For those that lived on the island, though, they'd taken the time to do some decorating, though it was in decidedly Hawaiian fashion, with none of the mainland turkeys and and pilgrims. Nope, instead the holiday decoration included flowers, blooms everywhere. Most of them in pots that have been placed on either side of every doorway, or hung from the eaves near windows. The result was the sweet scent of bright, Hawaiian flowers mixing in with the brush of warm wind coming from the ocean.
Mila is out with Volya on the beach, the two sitting in side-by-side, low-slung, comfy looking beach chairs with a cooler between them. They're facing the ocean but neither of them looks as though they've been in it so far today. Villam, from the look of the footprints in the sand, has walked up to them to talk, and the three of them are currently exchanging pleasantries while the two ladies sit and eat take-out from Roy's barbeque for breakfast. Conni has also joined the trio, and is sitting on the sand next to Mila, chatting with them.
Volya listened and gave Mila a solemn nod to her explanation of the effects on reefs. "And the last guy that Keha punched in the face over environmental issues, died." She took another drink of her water, and giggled. "The punching had nothing to do with the death. Correlation does not guarantee causation." Her nostril flared as she pulled at the scents in the air and she pushed herself up on her feet. And started dance, doing an impromtu Shake from the 60s, hips and shoulders shaking and gyrating as she shifted forward a few feet, limping and looping back to her original spot to repeat the steps once more. And the eat of the line, she pointed. "Why would you come this way!?!" Dotting the air twice more with her index finger, she shook her head. Rubbing her thigh with the heel of her hand, she moved back to her chair to do another controlled landing. Her blue eyes dilated as she readjusted the hoodie to shield them once more. "What?" She blinked at Villam's question. "It's getting late in the year, this is my calm time of the year--" Gripping her thigh, she stared back towards Roy's, "THAT FUCKING DIRECTION!"
Mila grinned and reached into the cooler, pulling out a third wrapped foil package and tossing it to Conni with a hushed 'Think fast!' as she did so. "I got a third in case Keha came home, I didn't want her turning me into a pin cushion. But, if I gave it to a friend, I can always cite Aloha when I tell her I didn't get her anything from Roy's this morning." Amusement had Mila almost chuckling, but not quite. "I can't imagine not wanting to have your help, though we'll have to take you down with us some time so you can see what it is you're protecting. It's beautiful down there, utterly impressive. The things that are made and created just by nature taking its course." A pleased happiness had settled over Mila and she took a bite of her food again, already more than half done despite its large size, and looked out in time to see Peter bodyboarding. She grinned and nodded. "Yup, that's how you figure it out. One leap at a time." Then there's a dancing Volya, which caused Mila to wince more than laugh. "Vee! You're gonna' pop your stitches, pupule wahine!" Realizing that she was doing her dance for more than just amusement's sake, however, Mila stopped trying to get Volya to sit down even before she really started, and just shook her head. Lifting her food in a sort of 'cheers' to Villam, she nodded at the selection he'd made at Roy's. "Good choice, Roy has the best of everything. And I surf as a job, and stand up for the rights of things that people seem to forget about as a passion. I can't recommend many other kinds of passion on the beach, especially here, as you'd get caught and they're kinda intense about not fornicating where people, especially kids, can see you during the day on Oahu."
Seeing Villam come back with food is the last straw for Conni. "Okay, I can't do this anymore, I need food..." Apparently a mind reader, Mila has the solution in hand and Conni gratefully accepts the foil wrapped bundle. Placing the food in her lap, Conni touches a hand to her heart and mouths the words 'thank you' to Mila. "Diving sounds like it could be fun, it's the one thing I've not done since I've been here. Come to think of it, I don't think I've been in the water once." Conni grins and then laughs as Volya starts to dance, the reason rather unclear for the Dane but that doesn't stop her watching. The mention of stitches has Conni glancing at Volya's leg, "yes, stop dancing. You're making me feel like a wuss!" Conni is distracted then, quite unable to resist food any longer and she starts to unwrap the sandwich before taking to the food with all the delicacy of a starving piranha.
The young man continues along the edge of the water, trying to gain some success but having a hard time on the bodyboard. After several false starts that turn into faceplants or unintentional cannonballs, Peter finally gets a good, long glide of roughly sixty feet. Along the way he spots the three women, and grinning brightly, he waves to them. "Hey Conniiiiiiii". His showboating is cut short as a wave sinks his board, and he thunders into the shallow water and heavy sand.
"You're fine to share mine," Villam says, holing up another rib, half-held out to the three of them to tease. "A nice, long, hot piece of meat, succulent and savory...." He chuckles then and winks at Mila. "All right, so it's fine at night 'cause the kids won't see you. Got it. It still gets sand in un/com/fortable places, though. THe club would be much better. Dark, the drinks, the throbbing music, all that is left the sensations of the present.
Volya growled as she turned back in her seat, adjusting her hood again as she smiled to Mila. "I know, right? But it's not like we could get everyone to dress in black." Stroking up her thigh, she let out a slow breath, managing to hold onto a smile. "The alternative is not dancing and when we have the potential for chaos. And hell yes. Diving is really fun, but make sure you're hydrated, because the air from the tank will rob the moisture from your body. OH!" She snapped her fingers, "We need a bag or two next time, because with the month we've been having, there have been enough punctrated fleshy bits." The long 'Conni' in the distance drew her narrowing eyes as she muttered, "That is what causes stitches to pop..." Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly, "Aloha to the sky, aloha to the ocean, aloha to the sand..." The mantra ended early as her head tilted and she just stared at Villam. "Dude... Conni's got the spear... Long one too." She gestured to the ravenous and hungover blonde.
"Oh I could totally take you diving, Conni. We have the gear for scuba and I can teach you, if you'd like. I took Volya down a week or two ago, it was good fun." Mila grinned at Conni and nodded to her. "It's a whole other world down there, so peaceful. And it's quite comforting to know that you can move with all the other natural things and not be treated like you don't belong among them, because the reef even welcomes us with the two legs and no fins." A moment or two passed, and Mila slowly turned her gaze to Villam, her brows climbing high. In response to the statement about sharing his meat, Mila lifted her own ban bo to her mouth and took a bite of it, grinning as she chewed. "No need for sharing, Villam, we've got our own. Mahalo for the offer, though. And even at night, this place is filled with tourists. If you're going to be trying to score on the sand you'd need to go to one of the more locals only beaches, so you aren't picked up by the cops catching all the tourists." Peter calling to Conni had Mila's attention snatched that direction, and she winced as he went down. "Need to have lots of those to learn too, so hey, he's going to be a pro in no time." Mila offered the words with a hopeful lilt to her voice, watching to make sure the kid came up from the water and could move. Hearing Volya, Mila nodded to her and then glanced at the now-seated V, giving her a smile as she reached over with her free hand and squeezed Volya's shoulder. "Laule'a ku'uipo, 'a'ole polikia. Your stitches will be ok, ne? At least he called out long before you saw him today. No need for another visit to the needle." Then she made the statement about Conni's spear, and Mila laughed brightly.
The tide is low and slack.
Conni looks up as she hears her name called, turning to offer Peter a greasy fingered wave as the young man approaches. Calling out in return is out of the question, the young dane busy savaging what is left of her sandwich. Taking a break, she looks over ot Volya. "Bag or two? You've lost me...again." Watching Volya going through a little meditation routine, Conni raises an eyebrow. "Are you okay Vee, what's up?" Conni looks to Mila, hoping she knows what is going on. "Oh yeah, I'd like that. It's just something I've always avoided in the past, something of a built in phobia if you get me?" She shrugs her shoulders as she says this, giving Mila a meaningful look. She looks then from Mila to Villam, noting the exchange. "I'm a bit of a biter." She grins and then lifts up her sandwich as if to prove a point. She almost chokes at the comment about a spear, glaring with mock fury at Mila and Volya. "I thought we weren't going to talk about that in polite company, I've had enough people staring at my crotch for one day thank you Volya."
Peter lays face down in the water for perhaps an uncomfortably long time, but he does rise up suddenly, shaking his hair violently before he reaches down to snatch the bodyboard from the surf. He slowly approaches the four people, stopping before Volya. "I am truly sorry. I promise not to do that ever again, to anyone. I know you're really mad, and I understand why. All I can hope for is that you will forgive me, some day." He then offers a very deep bow, before stepping back a little.
"I know, it is so disappointing when someone only stares at crotch, and doesn't end up touching. Indulging," Villam says, sighingm before starting to eat his second rib. The amount he has is quite a bit, probably enough for two. He sits down then and streches out, "And aloha to you as well," the incubus intones to Peter "What's your name?"
Patting Mila's hand on her shoulder, Vee gave it a squeeze and smiled. "Did it sound like I was holding a grudge? It was letting it go and karma provided for me." Her grin appeared in short order as she watched Peter, her blue eyes tracking back to Conni, "I was releasing my negative vibes, greeting the sky, the ocean, and the beach. Having a quick temper needs as quick a release. Holding onto grudges keeps it inside and it rots the soul. So." Vee blew across the palm of her hand as if she was blowing dust off it. When Peter came up, she stared at the man for a long moment as he spoke and smiled up at him. "Aloha to you, and it's cool. I realize you didn't mean harm by it. I'm sorry for telling you to die. The former to the statement was probably correct and save injuries." A giggle slipped out, "Okay... Save me from farther injury, as it was I did pop a stitch. But it's cool, man. Live and let live." That woman had almost made to a state of zen when her eye started twitching, and her gaze moved to Villam. "DUDE! What the fuck? Seriously, you need to just..." The woman closed her eyes and grew motionless as she continued through clenched teeth, "Perhaps you should clarify before my friend's chair gets broken..."
Mila motioned to Volya, while grinning at Conni. "See? All's well. She just needed to let the vibes go. Lucky for all of us, the sand can handle that shit far better than we can." She looked over at Peter and offered him a wide, happy smile. "Aloha Peter! You were doing well out there, are you working up to surfing or just enjoying the bodyboard for its own sake?" When he apologized to Volya and his apology was accepted, Mila's happiness seemed to grow a little bit more and she nodded again. "It's good there's no worries between you two, 'a'ole pilikia at the best." And then, she blinked, and her smile faded from her lips, as Mila stared at Villam. Clearing her throat, she stared levelly at the man with his 'meat' in his hands and spoke with a slow, steady cadence that veritably vibrated with her temper simmering in her words. "Villam. You're obviously a malihini, so maybe you don't understand just how maha'oi what you're saying is. Seriously, brah. You're talking to three women you don't know from Hunea. And you're speaking in a terribly offensive way. I don't know if this works on the mainland where you're from, but you might want to dial it back so no one feels like they need to defend their friends from your intentions or your possible rudeness."
"I uh...what the..." Conni splutters, her mostly finished sandwich dropping from her hands and into the sand. Taking her good hand she starts to pull at the side of her t-shirt, seeming to want to rip the garment from her body but barely able to stretch it. "Gods fucking damn it!" She curses out loud, real anger showing on her face now as she struggles with to tear it open. "Fucking gods damn sling, fucking bandages, fucking gh...." Conni stops and takes a breath, then another, doing her best to pretend that the last ten seconds didn't happen. "Does anyone have a knife? Actually, don't worry about it." Sounding a little subdued now and perhaps a little silly given her now drastically warped t-shirt, she looks over to Mila. "Could I have a beer please?" Bringing her legs round until she is sitting cross legged, Conni rests her left hand on her knee, cursing silently when she notices one of the nails hanging off raggedly. "Oh joy..."
Peter looked prepared to be attacked by Volya, such was her previous reaction. But he begins to relax when she speaks, and he nods slightly when she finishes. "While it doesn't help me feel less guilty, I do feel a little better having heard you say that. Again, I am truly sorry for scaring you like that. Thank you for being the better person."
He smiles a little when Mila speaks and he chuckles then. "I am working my way up to surfing. I was told the bodyboard is a good start, to practice my balance. Which apparently I have better balance on four feet than two." Peter shrugs. "And I am working at getting out of some bad habits I have."
The young man unzips a small pocket on the half-wetsuit he wears, and reaches inside, pulling out a small Swiss Army knife. He offers it to Conni. "Can you manage or did you want me to cut something specific?" He spots the nail in bad condition and chuckles. "That's okay, I got you covered." Away goes the blade and out comes the scissors. "It's got an emery board too, so you don't have something catching every little thing."
Volya sat there for a long time with her eyes closed and motionless. Before long she was humming to herself. It may have been 'Night on Bald Mountain' to start, but it relaxed in tone as it went on and she slowly leaned back in her seat. Her eye flickering open as she scanned the beach for movement. She hummed at note and a smile returned as she looked between the three remaining in close proximity. "Okay... I don't think I've ever wished someone away like that... So. I was... Yes." She smiled up at Peter, "It's cool, dude."
The fact that Mila wasn't shaking with rage was a bit of a testament to the fact she'd been in a good mood, and the fact that maybe she'd just had a great morning. Reaching into the cooler, she pulled out one of the couple of beers in it and handed it over to Conni with a twitch of a smile on her lips. "Enjoy, they're good. From a local brewery." The dark red she'd handed over had a hula dancer on the front, wearing a full lei and headdress. Looking over to Volya, Mila gave a second attempt at smiling and nodded. "You did good, you have to teach me that trick someday." Clearing her throat, she finally turned her attention to Peter while she lifted her water from between her knees up to her lips and took a swallow, attempting to get the heat of her rage out of her throat. "Body boarding is fun, but the feel of really being out there in the swells and surfing is so much like flying sometimes. It's utterly freeing." After she swallowed, Her shoulders slowly started to relax as she spoke with obvious fondness for the sport. "I hope you try it, at least. It's good for the soul."
The tide is low and rising.
"Thank you for the offer but there's no need now, I don't quite feel the want for a skirt." Conni lets out a long sigh and then flashes a smile to Peter. "It's okay, I'm just tetchy, my muscles ache and getting decent pain killers has been a trial." Eyeing her broken nail, she raises it to her mouth and does her best to bite off the damage. "I like to think we're all doing better, there's been no stabbings or bloodshed." Seemingly happy with the quick repair job, she reaches out and takes the offered beer. "Thanks Mila, you're a lifesaver!" Popping the top off with her thumb, Conni sniffs at the contents before taking an experimental sip and then a much larger swallow. "Oh yes, this one goes on the list." Seemingly molified, Conni lets out another sigh. "I really need to start taking people up on all these offers. Wren's said he'll take me riding and now diving is looking really appealing. Just need to not be thinking about damp wings everytime I go in the water, it really messes with your head." She shudders and takes another sip from her beer. "I like the idea though, I've seen movies but I don't think they can do it justice, just how calming it must be under water."
Shadows lengthen and the light turns golden as the sun sinks toward the west through a clear sky.
Peter grins back at Volya and nods. "How're you recovering from the other night? That was a nasty wound you had going." He blinks, "Oh, Conni, that reminds me! Look!" The young man turns to Conni and starts rolling up the left leg on his half-wetsuit, exposing an angry red line just a bit longer than her speartip is wide. "Got the stitches out of this one. Doc says it's doing pretty well, all things considered. Sadly... the other leg is going to take a bit to heal. Stupid ghouls."
He looks to Mila then. "And I'm sorry about the misunderstanding with those ghouls. They weren't ... digging when I went to their defense. And I didn't smell them. Else I would not have done that, yeah? I know nothing came of it, between you and I, but I wanted to clear that up. You saw something I didn't." Peter nods to her. "And yeah, I am going to give surfing a try. Though.. I can't afford a board. So it will be a while before I can do that. Once I get settled and on my feet, it'll be something I look into."
Volya gave up a weak chuckle, "This is why I don't stay around people much... I have a terrible temper and everything else melts away. Emotion control is not high in this one." Her eyes widened for a moment and she gave her head a tiny shakes, and with a blink it was gone. She stared at Conni, her nose scrutching, "Conni, sweetie, if you needed some pain killers, you should have asked. A touch of herb does the body good." A giggle escaped her and she gestured to the ocean with a wave of her hand. "There's all sorts of sea birds that have that figured out. You can do it. And horseback riding is so worth it." Reaching down, she carefully rubbed her thigh, "It's healing slowly in spite of desires to just let go. Thanks for asking. And yeah... Fuck ghouls... I lost my hiking boots to them."
"Its all good, brah. I have a trainer board you can borrow one day if you want to try going out. Keha and I have like... 6 I think? Though my old stunt board's in the shop because I decided to do one stunt too many one night and wasn't thinking." Mila chuckled and shook her head while giving a 'whatcha gonna do' shrug to Peter. "I wouldn't put you out on a stunt board while you're learning anyway, though. Just don't ever go out to try on your own, make sure you have someone with you. The reef's no joke, and it's close to the surface where you get most of the good breaks. You should probably start out trying off Waikiki, there's good beginner waves there." Mila looked over at Conni and nodded to her. "It's so different than anything else. And so quiet. Then you can hear the voice of the ocean and it makes you realize how small the voice of the wind can be." She stood up and looked over at Volya with a smile. "Speaking of your leg, we need to go get those stitches out, so you can get back into the water, neh?" She looked at Peter, then at Conni, and gave them both broad smiles. "Conni, I live just there, in the lower left condo." She pointed at the condos closest to the beach, the two story building, and at the bottom floor. "Come by, I've got all the gear. We can go out whenever." She looked at Peter and grinned. "You too, let me know about it if you want to try surfing. It's a cool thing to see the sadness melt from a beginner's eyes. Aloha you two." With that, she gathered up the chairs, the cooler, and of course Volya, and they both made their way to the condo in question.
"Thanks for the offer Volya, I'll be sure to pop down now I know where you live." Conni grins and waves as Volya gets up to leave. "You see, now I know who to mooch off if I can knock down drunk on the beach." She grins and then nods to her friend. "You will eventually get me in the water, I'm mostly looking forward to it too!" She watches for a little while as her friends head off, finally turning back to look to Peter. "It was all so calm too. Oh well." Letting out a little sigh, Conni eyes her beer and then the cooler that has left with Volya and Mila. "Now I'm going to have to move, at least eventually. How's tricks with you Peter?"
Peter nods to Mila, grinning brightly. "I'll happily take you up on that offer, Mila. I look forward to it!" He waves to her and Volya as they take their leave. Turning to Conni, his grin brightens further. "I... I somehow made both of them into friends just now, didn't I?" At her mention of being calm, he nods again. The young man sits down cross-legged before her and chuckles. "Well, you might wanna move before the beach gets too cold. I can help you get back to the Hostel if you need or want?" Peter is quiet for a little bit before speaks again. "Tricks are going .. alright."
"Volya is a good egg once you get to know her, just don't push her buttons. Mila is actually quite loving, just don't pull a Villam." Conni grins as she says this, taking a sip from her beer as he regards Peter. "If anything it's going to get hotter but then if I stay out I'll get burnt and I'd really like to avoid that. I was going to look into this thing that happened at the Hostel but I think I've found out as much as I can right now. That and people don't seem to be listening to me which is a bit annoying."
Peter nods to her. "And what of you? May I consider you a friend? We uhm didn't start off on the right foot, yeah?" He looks about and lets out a breath. "Do you use sunscreen at all? That helps?" Says the young man with the all around tan. "Would you like to go somewhere else then? And yeah, I get annoyed for that reason also. Especially when you're trying to say something really important."
"We've fought together and bled together on more than one occasion, I'd trust you with my back in a battle and that is high distinction when it comes to me." Upending her bottle, Conni drains the last of the ale. "So yes, I consider you a friend." She smiles warmly to Peter and then starts to get to her feet, folding her legs out from under her and then getting to one knee and then standing. "Lets get out of her before I go up in smoke. We also need to compare notes this group that is possibly targetting realtors." Conni raises a finger as she says this, "that's just a theory though, from the one target. I could be completely wrong."
The stars glitter like diamonds in the deep sapphire blue of the night sky.
Peter offers a steadying hand, getting to his feet as she does. "I would happily have you at my back in a fight too. How are your injuries healing? We both have some interesting scars, we should share their stories sometime." He looks up and down the beach, and then picks up his bodyboard. "Yeah, I think I want to get out of this wetsuit. It rides up one's behind a bit too closely, I find. Lead on, to a shadier place, yeah?" Peter holds out his elbow to her, holding the bodyboard in his other hand. "You can lean on me if you need. And oh.. that is an interesting theory. Gotta wonder what they need property for or why they want to get into the realty business."
Grabbing hold of Peter's elbow, Conni finaly gets to her feet. "Thanks, the loss of one arm is more annoying than I first though. However, if I avoid using the arm and tearing the stiches I should be okay in a couple more days." Conni quickly scans the sand where she was sat to make sure she hasn't left any litter behind. "Lay on, Macduff." She says with a grin, indicating the rough direction of the Hostel. "We can chat while we walk and less chance of prying eyes and ears. Then I can give you my theory and then we can raid the beer fridge." Conni seems content enough to lean on Peter, talking as they walk but keeping her voice low. "I know who the target was and he was involved with a group buying up property here in Hawaii."
Peter is a nicely solid person to lean on, and he puts his hand on her back for extra support. "Yeah, I can understand. I really hated that my legs got wounded. Walking is.. harder. Much harder than I thought it would be. Probably could have healed faster too if I'd just stayed in bed. But I think I'd go nuts if my arm was injured as bad as yours. How... how do you deal with going to the bathroom?" He leads her on towards the Hostel, walking slowly but with purpose. "I think that's Shakespeare? Lay on, Macduff?" He giggles lightly and looks ahead. "So I guess that guy was at the party and that's why they went there to do their black mojo, yeah?"
"Everything else is fine, it's just the getting 'up' bits that are tricky, really anything that involves moving my upper body around." Conni shrugs, or at least half shrugs. "I actually hate getting scars but then it is party of the territory. One day I imagine my body will be a tapestry of scars from all the different battles I've been in, but that day is hopefully a long way aways." Turning her attention back to the matter at hand, Conni nods to one of the many tourist bars that they pass. "There's this New York Investment hustle, it's called Symbiote. They're buying interests in local bars and tourist hotspots. Hawaiian firms were having their shares bought out, that's bound to annoy a few people. I have some cards back at the hostel, from the Brett guy who was in the boat that was hit to his partners in this scheme."
~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~ Ho'okipa Hostel ~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@
Peter opens the doors to the hostel, and keeps them open for Conni to pass through before he follows in behind her. "Whew. It's already much nicer, just being inside. I know there's a few beers in the fridge, and I cna snag them before they vanish. Do you need a hand with anything before I grab you some brews, and maybe a sandwich or two?" He stretches and then fidgets. "Then I'm changing outta this wetsuit."
"Thank you kindly." Conni says with a grin, heading through the doors and making her way upto the communal bar. "I think I'm good, if you grab the beers and get changed and I'll grab my business cards." Conni tugs at her mis-shapen t-shirt. "Okay, I'll get changed too, be right back!" Slipping off the bar stool that she had only just occupied, Conni heads over to the balcony for her room and vaults the railing one handed, it has something of a practiced feel to it. She steps out a couple of minutes later, her face freshly scrubbed and a new set of clothing on. She's gone for another white t-shirt, this one plane and a pair of loose fitting jogging pants, the sort designed for lounging around in more than running. Making her way back to the bar, she sets down an array of business cards, sipping from a beer that she's brought from home.
Joachim sat in the bar, nursing what looked to be an iced tea, He was sitting somewhat painfully straight in a booth, a bag in the seat next to him and a brochure for the resort lying open on the table. The sound of people made him look up slightly, enough to catch sight of a familiar face as Conni and Peter both disappeared into their respective rooms. When the blond came out he blinked, folding the pamphlet and tucking it away. Raising a hand in greeting as she re-entered the bar, he gave a somewhat awkward nod. "Hey. Aloha. Uh... you probably don't remember me, but I hope that everything turned out ok... a few weeks back?" He shrugged. "Didn't have time to introduce myself... at the time. Joachim." He gave her a short, friendly nod.
Peter steps out of his room for a moment, the half-wetsuit he'd been wearing undone, and pulled back to expose his chest. He walks over to the bar, and rummages around in the fridge behind it. He slaps a beer down for Conni, and pops the cap with a bottle opener. Looking to Joachim, the young man gets a second beer out and pops that one too. "That's on me, yeah? Give me a few minutes, gotta deal with something. And change out of this wetsuit. Why didn't they say that it practically suctioncups to your body after a while? It's like I'm suffocating." Peter turns and heads back into his room, closing the door most of the way, but leaving it open a crack.
Iara wanders into the bar, dressed in a thin white summery dress. She gets an iced tea as well, complete with lits of crushed ice cubes and settles down in a seat not far from Joachim.
She idly stirs her drink, seemingly deep in thought as she stares quietly into her drink, cooling her hands on the frosted glass.
"Yeah, I think I remember you." Conni turns in her seat and takes a long look at Joachim while sipping his beer. "Got it! You're the one who fought off those Zombies, using only your intestines as weapons!" She laughs and gives him a gentle punch on the shoulder. "Of course I remember you, I never forget the face of someone I've been in battle with. How are you faring? Last I heard you were in hospital? On and it's Conni" She taps her chest when she says this and then turns to Iara as she enter. "Afternoon Iara, how are you?"
Iara grabs her drink and takes a long sip, before pulling out a faded photograph, staring at it for a long time, frowning a bit as her fingers brush carefully over the brittle paper.
She is aware of voices talking nearby but seems to have missed sight of Peter as he slips back to his room. Mention of zombies and entrails does catch her attention before her name is called, and she arches a quizzical brow towards Joachim. "Aloha..Ummm..,Did you just say..Zombies..?" However, as Conni greets her she smiles faintly and nods. "Aloha, Conni, I am well, just a little tired after some intensive studying. How are you?"
Joachim opened his mouth to say "Zombies, what zombies?" and then shrugged. "Yep. That's me. Old guts for garlands himself." He smiled, looking at the beer and shaking his head. "It's appreciated but I just got out of the hospital. Mixing painkillers and alcohol wouldn't be wise, and I'm still 2 weeks late to work." He laughed, twinging slightly and sitting up straighter. "Nice to meet you Conni. And better not to have to dance around it." He grinned. "I was going to open with a joke."
Lola arrives, stalking into the hostel at a steady prowl. Her bright red and black hair mostly hidden by her hoodie's hood, she peers from beneath the hood as people enter her range of view. Her attention snapping between them. It's an evaluating attention. She herself is worth a look. She's a bit rough, this one. A few minor rips and tears in her hoodie. Dirt on her boots. A cut across her lip and cheek. Is that blood on her knuckles? Even so, she seems quite pleased with herself, given her fierce expression. "What's good, bitches!" Her voice is rough and throaty, matching her feral countenance.
Joachim had nodded his thanks at the beer, watching Peter head off with a raised eyebrow. "I just checked in here. Something I should expect a lot of?"
Peter steps out of his room at this point, dressed in black jeans shorts and a green tshirt. He runs a hand through his hair to dry it off a little. "No, but I figured a friend of Conni's might have thirsty work ahead of them.", the young man replies to Joachim, belatedly. He smiles brightly at first Iara, and then Lola, as their presences are noted. "Hey Iara, how are you doing? How's Abdiel?" The young man walks over to Lola, placing a gentle kiss upon her lips momentarily. "Your fashion today speaks to me. It says, 'I just kicked three people's asses.' Have you been fighting?"
"I found mixing them lead to a great nights sleep but it's your liver." Conni flashes Joachim a grin and raises her bottle of beer. "It was a crazy night and the rest of the workers got out okay. Didn't read anything about it in the paper though, that's odd right?" Looking over to Iara, she shrugs a shoulder, at least her left one, her right arm still bound up in a sling and stifling movement. "I've been better. Still, it's early yet and I might hit the bars later if the mood takes me. So, are you living here now? Can't say I blame you, the rooms are lovely." As Lola enters, Conni raises an eyebrow. "Getting to know the locals?" Her gaze flicks from the bloodied knuckles to her cut lip. "I'm assuming you won?"
Iara blinks slowly at Joachim's casual talk of guts 'n stuff, cringing a bit. "Oh...That sounds...Painful..? Umm, I'm glad I wasnt there, glad you made it out in one piece..?"
Then Peter arrives and she smiles, "Peter!" her smile quickly fades though as she sees what happens next, though not entirely surprised, really.
"Oh. Aloha Lola." she nods to her, smiling faintly, thoughtfully. "Abdiel? He's alright. Really busy, trying to set up a studio and all..."
She nods back to Conni, "I like it here but Abdiel is eager to find a house to move into, set up his studio, get back into a routine, and..." she closes her eyes, draws a deep breath, takes a long drink of her iced tea.
Joachim laughed and raised his own glass. "Maybe at the end of the night. I still haven't seen my way around the island. I was trying to find here when there happened." Shrugging, he settled into his seat. "Well it's nice to meet you and I'm glad to hear it. I owe someone thanks but I'm not sure who. I just know some woman got me to where I needed to be." He shook his head and nodded to her sling. "Looks like you keep getting into trouble though." His attention went to the newly arrived Lola and Peter, noting their interaction, the blood on her knuckles and the mention of fighting raising his eyebrow. He looked to Conni. "Wasn't she there too? Went into the hole with you guys right?" He nodded to Iara. "Too be fair I was in shock, so it's only been painful after the fact, and I have many wonderful painkillers to deal with that. Maybe I'll pull a Bill Engvall." He looked around. "And yeah. Just until I find my own place. I can pay my way but I'm not sure this sort of lifestyle is permanent for me or not. As for locals... the five of you that night and two more today sort of count?"
Lola grunts when Peter comes up to kiss her, which earns him a palm to the face. Not a slap, but a push. Rather rude. "Back up, loverboy. I ain't them," she states, giving him an eyeing before actually addressing the questions. "Some jerk got in my way," she adds. "He won't do that again." Of course, that could mean anything, but she doesn't seem to care to elaborate. She shrugs at Conni. "I'm still walking, yeah?" Then she sets eyes on Joachim and frowns at him. She walks right up to him and jabs at his chest with a finger. "You're that unfunny jackass." Her eyes narrow at him, studying his face.
Peter grunts back when she pushes him back, an eyebrow raising up at her comment. He runs a hand through his hair as she walks over to Joachim, and he shakes his head, following her over. "Hey, uhm, Lola. Did you want something to eat or drink? Beer? Sandwich?" He looks to Joachim a moment, and then back to the chest-jabber. "So what exactly happened to get you riled up?"
The young man glances at Conni, and then Iara. "Were either of you hungry? Would you like a sandwich?"
Getting up from her stool, Conni gathers together the business cards she had brought out and stacks them neatly together. "Don't forget these Peter." She flashes him a smile and then slides off the stool. "Iara, say 'Hi' to Abdiel for me if you see him and good luck with the house hunting." At last to Jaochim, she gives him another friendly jab in the shoulder. "Don't sweat it, I'm over there if you want to grab another beer. I have a few in the fridge." Draining the last of her bottle, she sets it down neatly on the bar before heading across the courtyard to her balcony, vaulting it easily and then pulling the doors shut most of the way, music can be heard starting moments later.
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