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

[glacius]

Alright, she isn't making off with the shells... though whether or not that's because she simply isn't interested, or because he has chosen undesirable ones isn't clear to Glacius. Or perhaps she is simply more occupied with looking for him, which would make sense given his strange form and sudden disappearance. At least she's not being overly aggressive about it, which helps the alien think his previous alarm might have been unfounded.

Only might have been, though; he isn't sold yet, not when she just came running at him with a weapon. So he forms just enough of himself form the water that his gills and vocal chords manifest, head and the upper portion of his neck elevated above the surface of the ocean, and calls out to her, "Do not shoot; I've no interest in a scuffle. Put that weapon away and then we can talk, if that is what you wish."

[odinbolt]

She's definitely more concerned about the strange being. The shells haven't gotten a close enough look to decide whether they're desirable or not yet.

And that voice... It's not identical to the child with those same bright eyes, but the similarity is undeniable. Like the difference-- well, the difference between a child and an adult.

"... Okay." She places the bow to the floor and straightens back up. "You're one of the people who live here, right?"

And not a sea monster.

[glacius]

Glacius has not yet placed Serah; most of his time as a child was jumble of frightened, disoriented memories, and he seems to be too defensive to really be focusing on recollection. He is watching her closely, however; he cocks his head sharply to one side as she lowers the bow to the ground, but as soon as it is out of her hands his expression smooths out. A few moments later and his head is moving closer to her, more of his body literally forming from the ocean as he approaches. Perhaps that it why it seemed like he simply disappeared when he plunged into it; he possesses the ability to liquidize himself completely, which is a very handy escape tactic in normal situations, let alone when the rest of the world around him is all water.

Now he's coming up out of the waves and back onto land, and Serah will be able to see another of his abilities: he can not only drop his form, but reshape it entirely. Instead of a giant serpent he is a towering humanoid adorned with crystal-like spikes, long limbs and strong muscles chiseled from ice. It is only his face that remains largely unchanged, and thankfully that is regarding her with much less defensiveness than he had before.

"Yes. I am. My name is Glacius. I apologize for for being so prickly... most humans have a hard time interpreting my appearance as anything other than a threat, initially. I did not want to risk a scuffle in which you could be harmed."

[odinbolt]

That's a kind of power she hasn't seen before. The flan in Sunleth, the giant one, was made of thousands - millions - of smaller flan, but this is just one person, shifting his shape as easily as you swirl water in a cup. It's enough to make Serah gasp, softly, as she watches.

Then he apologises, eloquently and kindly, and her cheeks flush red at the defensive reaction she had earlier. "I'm sorry. I thought you were--" Well, a threat is pretty apt. Something from the sea, some natural part of this world. She clears her throat and clasps her hands behind her back, pulling her eyes back towards him so she's at least facing the person she almost attacked.

"I'm Serah, Serah Farron." And she's sure they've met now, but he doesn't seem to remember, so she bites her tongue.

[glacius]

Glacius simply nods, a twinge of... resignation? Or sadness? Faintly coloring his alien features as she confirms she had the same bias against his nonhuman appearance. At least she has the decency to apologize, though, and she meets his gaze any trace of negative emotion that might have been coloring his has been smoothed out. He gives a polite dip of his head.

"Good to meet you," the ice alien replies, then flicks his gaze down to her bow. "You may pick up your weapon now; it would be unfair of me to ask that you remain unarmed in this place for long, and shows a respect for peace that you would release it for a moment. Did you come down here aiming to hunt..?"

[odinbolt]

She'll learn, but it's hard to undo the lessons of Cocoon and Pulse, where there are few non-human creatures which don't pose a threat, honestly. Serah would be wary of a cat that was overly large after all the hopping around the timeline, and she didn't manage to run into him mid monster attack to know any different.

She does as told, bending down and smoothly snatching up her bow, holding it loosely in front of her like it's a handbag rather than a weapon, and shakes her head. "I'm helping the guard," she explains. "So, I'm patrolling." It sounds strange to say, really. She's still new and the concept of patrolling sounds better suited to her sister than herself. But Lightning isn't here, and Serah wants to help out somehow.

This seems as good a way as any.

[glacius]

"Ah, another member of the Guard!" Glacius seems surprised but pleased, and tries his best to remember the more formal way that humans like to greet each other. After a moment's delay he seems to recall it, and offers one frosty white hand for a shake. "I too have offered my aid to them, to uphold justice and peace here as much as is possible, and to protect the innocents of this city. I should be more up to date on personnel, but recent personal affairs have kept me from being present at headquarters as much as I used to. How long have you been with us, now?"

[odinbolt]

That works. Serah doesn't usually shake hands, but it's not a hard and fast rule. It just seems to be less of a thing back home. Either way, she shifts her bow into one hand and shakes with the other, the cold of his form piercing through her leather gloves.

"Not too long," she admits. "Just before we moved here. I haven't had the chance to meet many other members yet." So it's really not a big deal if Glacius didn't know that she was part of it, she didn't know he was, either.

"Was this the kind of thing you did in your world, too?" Being part of a guard. It's totally new to her.