Beach Boys [open]

[tongueamok]

Who: Glacius (glacius), Carlisle Longinmouth (tongueamok), and you!
What: Two dudes just chilling in the fun and the sun, minus the sun. Chilling likely literal. Fun debatable. Also, one of them is a giant snake.
Where: All islands, coastal areas
When: May 27th - Early June
Warnings: PG-13ish, probably?




"I still don't believe this is a good idea!"

For anyone who knows Carlisle, seeing him talking to himself -- or yelling, rather -- is probably nothing new; however, for anyone who may stumble upon this scene who isn't familiar with the anxiety-riddled clergyman, he's had better first impressions. He wouldn't want to make one right now, anyway: he's alone on the rocky beach that once led to the caves, his arms crossed as he picks at his sleeve nervously; his hair is a mess, tousled by the winds. Absent are his usual vestments, forgone for the beachwear he picked up last time the city saw so much water, and though it seems he intends to get wet at some point by virtue of his wearing them at all, the way he's standing a good distance from where the tides actually reach says otherwise. His previous encounter with the ocean had been just an illusion, a tranquil sea created by the gods; the waters then had been purposefully calm, a sharp contrast to the uneven waves before him now. The depths of this ocean are terrifyingly real, and likely home to equally terrifying creatures.

In the distance rises a serpentine figure with glowing, green eyes and spines along its head; it slithers through the waves with relative ease. Despite how frightening the monsters of the depths must be, Carlisle doesn't budge as this one looks his way before diving once more. Perhaps he doesn't consider this to be one of them -- he rubs at his arms, his eyes still upon the spot it vanished as he raises his voice once more.

"There could be anything out there!" he insists, his nose wrinkling as a gust of coastal wind pushes against him. His entire form stiffens, his fingers curling in reply, digging into his arm. "Or we could drown! I could drown! It would pull you under, and I would drown, and you'd be lost to the depths, and then we'd both wish we'd just stayed home!"

He is definitely yelling more to himself than anyone else at this point, but the serpent turns back toward the shore regardless, heading straight for him. It doesn't attack, as one might expect, doesn't lash out at the lanky, isolated clergyman from the shoreline -- instead, it snakes its way onto the sand, coils through the rocks, and stops once it reaches him, butting its forehead against his. Carlisle brings his hand up and lets it rest along his partner's mandible as they exchange a few, hushed words.

This might still be a strange sight for anyone who doesn't know either of them; however, some may recognize the sea creature as not a creature at all, but as Glacius, his icy form temporarily adapted to brave the waters of this new world. Though Carlisle remains nervous and reluctant to join him, he has nothing to fear -- no matter what lies beyond the safety of the land, they will face it together. Besides that, Glacius won't let anything happen to his human partner. Carlisle may not be as hardy when it comes to such elements, but anything that should try to attack them from the waters below will find they've challenged the wrong alien.

Giving Carlisle one more nudge for reassurance, Glacius makes his way back into the water, hoping to coax his partner into joining him -- if they aren't stopped by someone who happens up the coast, that is.

[[It's a joint log, folks! Feel free to tag either Carlisle, Glacius, or both as they hang around the coasts of all islands!]]

Comments

never be

[dedikated]

Kate, still relatively secure in the idea that Ravine was just bullshitting on the network that time, doesn't connect the events of that post with Carlisle's attitude just yet. She's more concentrated on Glacius' response to her joke, expression flitting to a brief, gentle smile.

"'M kidding," she explains quickly, head tilting at his explanation of the form. "You've been to the other islands, then?" Because that sounded like more than just going for a dip in the waters around this one.

[glacius]

"Kidding? Ah, I... I see," Glacius replies, in a tone that suggests he doesn't really, but trusts her not to be rude or judgmental towards him. He also is not quite sure what to make of the difference in Carlisle's attitude and Kate's own; one is suddenly dour, the other fairly casual. The cleric had said that he had yet to talk to her about this; the alien hadn't thought that he had yet to so much as mention it.

That takes priority here, then, as much as he wants to share tales of exploration with Kate. "In any case. Yes, your intuition serves you well; this form has enabled me to travel to other islands, and I will tell you about them. But first, I believe that Carlisle has something of his own that he would like to talk to you about." The ice alien puts a hand on Carlisle's shoulder as he says this, gentle but secure, keeping the clergyman in the center of the conversation but also silently showing him reassurance.

"Remember, Carlisle, be direct. She did not mean to disrespect you with her inquiries, and has such altered her course upon learning what it could entail." If the way he raises his brows at Kate is any indication, this is said as much to prepare the woman for what they're about to be laying into as much as it is to encourage his partner to speak. These are two people that he respects greatly; he wants to help them navigate this despite their innate differences.

[tongueamok]

As Glacius puts a hand on his shoulder and mentions that Carlisle has something he'd like to talk about, the clergyman shoots his partner a look of absolute venom that says that no, he does not have anything he wants to talk about. Ever. Certainly not with Kate, and not about phylacteries, or about her prying into his affairs, or about her continued refusal to acknowledge his own agency regarding his life. Good intentions or not, this is not the first time she has done this to him; he doubts it will be the last. It would be far easier to take it to the grave with him than to argue.

But Glacius would not have it the easy way; he would have it the right way, with both of his friends coming to some sort of an understanding rather than letting his partner stew in his own ire and bitterness any longer. He is of a stronger constitution than Carlisle, who has to resist the urge to wrest himself from Glacius' reassuring grasp so that he can storm away, delaying this conversation further.

"You had no right, Kate," he mumbles finally, lodging his gaze on the ground. It's better there than focused on her or his partner.

[dedikated]

Inquiries?

... Ah.

So Carlisle does know. She's guessing Glacius told him, which... is fair enough, since they're married now. Her brow raises but her expression stays cool, arms folding casually around herself as Carlisle - once again - addresses the floor rather than her.

"I asked a question." More like demanded it. But that's close to the same in the Kate to English dictionary of life. "Not allowed to get information about something?" Carlisle certainly only knew the bare minimum of how they work, and thank god the city has people who knew more than he did.

In her mind, it was a perfectly legitimate thing to do. She never dropped his name anywhere.

[glacius]

"This is true, Carlisle. She was careful to respect your privacy, and had no intention of making the decision for you... she was simply trying to better understand your choices."

This Glacius ventures gently, not wanting to interject himself too much in this conversation but still trying to offer some form of mediation. Never in his life would he have seen himself in such a position; dealing with them had been tricky enough when he was simply trying to reclaim his technology. Now that he's not trying to keep his presence a secret, but is right in the middle of the affairs, he is finding it just as tricky to keep the peace.

[tongueamok]

Kate folds her arms casually; Glacius remains calm, reassuring. Carlisle, on the other hand, tenses, his fingers curling against his palms, shoulders stiffening as though his muscles were wound by by the riling torrent in his gut.

"And yet, she hid it from me," he cuts back. His eyes finally rise to meet Kate, their glow vibrant as his energies stir with his temper. "You deliberately hid your inquiry from me. It was not a mere question, and you knew it."

[dedikated]

Casual as it might look, there's still a note of defensiveness around her posture. It's a natural reaction when Carlisle is, essentially, glaring daggers at her. Still, she doesn't see why she should apologise for taking action, for trying to find out more about something which sounded like the only option at the time.

"In case you started babblin' all over the network." Obviously. Not that she had thought so deeply about it at the time, just decided that something needed doing and soon. And that she didn't want Carlisle to know. Maybe he's right, but--

Well, she's stubborn, and as defensive as the position of her arms is.

[glacius]

"This is not acceptable," Glacius finally cuts in, surprising even himself with his sudden shift from neutrality. All he knows is that it is hard to watch two people he respects and cares about constantly butt heads when their goals truly are all aligned. He had been hoping that maybe Carlisle and Kate could find a way to truly realize that and come together in their efforts to face it. Maybe that's not realistic, given just how different they are, but he has to try one last time.

"Accusations do not help, they make others defensive, Carlisle," Glacius continues with a rumble, before swiveling his head to gaze and Kate. "And you, Kate... you owe Carlisle more than this stubborn stone-walling. You owe him the same heartfelt explanations you have given me... can you both not see that your motives, your circumstances are more similar than you believe? You are both driven by losses in your past, by your desires to protect yourselves from having to experience more... and your desires to not fail anyone else the way you only think you have failed those you loved in the past."

Glacius gives a little puff of breath as he straightens up, reclaiming some of his composure. "We can always focus on our differences if we choose... but it is by honoring our similarities that we grow closer. I know this very well—it is one of the greatest lessons I have learned through my attempts to interact and bridge the gap with your species. So perhaps you two should start there."

Sorry, I didn't realize it was my turn!

[tongueamok]

"I understand why she did it," Carlisle cuts back, despite Glacius' attempt to placate him. "I understand why it is she acts this way, but that does not make it right. You have done this time and time again to me, Kate. It was, it was moving me in with you and Faith and a bird, of all creatures, letting yourself into my apartment and packing up my things without even asking me. It is because of you that a seer would appear in my garden, and useful as her information may have been, it was an unexpected visit from a complete stranger, all because of you. Have you ever respected me? Or do you always do whatever it is you want, regardless of how someone feels?"

His hands shake as he levels her with a hard look, his voice quieter. "I want an apology."

this hurts me (':

[dedikated]

The bird was not her idea, okay!!! She was as bewildered by that as Carlisle.

Strange, to hear those words from Carlisle's mouth - do you always do whatever it is you want - when she feels like so little of her life has been even close to what she wanted. She followed Marc because she had to, because she loved him too much to let him try and solve the mystery alone. She stayed with The Agency long after she realised it was a lie, a shithole, because Marc still wanted to solve their parents' murders. She let Alicia run her sword through Rosenberg because it was a more efficient way of dealing with the woman, despite the way her fingers itched to tear the woman to shreds.

Things have changed, certainly. She wanted to do something constructive with her powers, and she did. She wanted to fix the mess they made, and they did. Wanted a job that didn't put more blood on her hands and got it.

But then came Hadriel, and all the things she never wanted to do here. Not least of which was ask that question. But they're on a timer, one that could so easily slip through their fingers and she can't stand waiting. She can't stand doing nothing when it ended so badly last time.

"Fine," she growls, staring up at Carlisle with more irritation than remorse. She hates apologising, but Carlisle's words - even more than Glacius' presence - do cut down somewhere deep, do drag out a reluctant acceptance that maybe, just maybe, she's been a bit of a dick to him once or twice.

"Sorry for not talkin' to you before any of that. Should've." Her hand rubs the back of her neck as she glances away for a moment. Okay, she'll try to keep that in mind. Try to continue changing instead of making it another breakable resolution like she's done with so much in her life, all too easily falling back on bad habits. "But 'm not sorry for tryin' to find a way to save you."

She can never be sorry for that.