The Sun, the Beach and the Water Guns (IC, OPEN)

[New Visayan Islands]

Clement Saavedra
Donrua Beach Bar

"I won't pretend to understand all of it, but from what I do understand," Clement replied, "it's actually something to behold; seeing the people who were once under your care grow to become their own persons is a source of pride." While he didn't walk the road Ernest did, his reputation as one of the Confederation's most iconic DJs was often a source of pride for the old man.
"If there is one thing constant about the winds of change, it's that they blow."As he took a sip from a refilled glass, Clement looked out before turning back to Brenda. "The winds always blow, and if one fails to adapt, they will be torn apart."

[AHSCA]

Alaina Udh of the Tribe of Navan.
Ava gave a shaky smile, while Fintan nodded.
“Alright!”, he said with a cheer, “Milady Priestess, Sir, Ava, please come with me.” He turned his head slightly. “Lyra!”
A young woman came over, a few years older then Ava, maybe fifteen, her silver hair short, her blue eyes of that light kind of blue, which shone light like the sky. She wore a white bikini with black straps, which did little to hide, that she was, shall we say, more developed then Ava.
That, of course, annoyed my sister.
“A few more kiddos for you to take care of.”, Fintan explained, then motioned to my sister and Kara's parents, “Have fun!”
Lyra nodded, then turned to Kara and me: “Hi, you two, as the dork mentioned, I'm Lyra. Who are you?”
“I'm Alaina, that's Kara!”, I told her, “Are you here with someone, Miss Lyra?”
Lyra offered her hands for us to take, and replied: “I am here with my little brother, Galen.” She considered us for a moment. “He should be a bit older then you two.”

Taking her husband by the hand to pull him along, Shiho was ready and waiting to get going in the thrill and spirit of competition. Frankly her husband hadn't seen this side of her before but oh well, he found it surprising and well certainly another reason to love her. Given her energy it was one less mystery why she took to Kara so well after they married. "C'mon love, we're gonna kick some and show what we islanders are made of!"

"Hehe all right"

Speaking of Kara, she and Alaina were ushered over to another lady named Lyra. Alaina took the liberty of introducing them both by name so Kara gave a friendly wave hello in response. "Galen" Kara repeated nodding along in understanding. "Silly question but what does that name mean? I ask because it reminds me of the Common word Gale, ya know strong wind, yeah? My name ya know means beloved person. But if ya ask my papa he says a better name for me would have been Fajra!"

[Katase]

Mara Urgharda of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I smiled.
It was clear, that these people would be very eager students, at least until they learned, that riding not only was sitting on the back of an equine and moving from A to B, but also caring for the horse, brushies and treats and clearing out and many other things... riding in and of itself was the smallest part of it.
“Wonderful.”, I said, “I think, you'll be good students.”

Galen Ainimh of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
Yes. Yes, we were.
Especially with pretty women, but that's another story.
Ciaran smiled. “Yuri it is, then.”, he said and offered his arm, “How about the two of us escort this old timer over there...”
“Hey!”, I protested with a smile.
“...to a spot where he can sit in the shade and then go off and do something fun.”, he straight up ignored me, his grin only growing, “You into sports?”

The Twins and their Aunt

"We'll do our best!" The twins said together in unison. The sound of a pop ring tone "Oh!" Kano said, realizing it was her phone she started to dig through her beach bag to find it "Hey, it's Akko-chan!"

Shino sidled up to Kano's side as Kano put their friend on video chat.

"Heeeeey!" Akko from the video chat on phone enthusiastically said

"Akko, hey what time is it there?"

"Mmm about 7 AM yesterday morning. Got up to watch the sunrise but wouldn't ya know it..." Akko adjusted the phone to show the heavy snowfall from the window "So I'm just curled up under the kotatsu"

"No better place to be in winter, right?" Shino agreed "Sorry we gotta show ya the complete opposite here."

"Ah no worries. So what else ya two doing right now?"

"Oh uh, say hello to our friend Akko." If anyone else in the group wanted to give their friend back home a hello, this was a good time.

"Akko, we're going to try horse riding tomorrow." Kano confessed

"Whaaaa! No way, you two are so lucky!"

"Yeah wish you could be here"

"Well oh well, it's fine. You two my besties so I'm happy for ya. Just uh bring me a souviner please?"

"Akko!" a voice from Akko's end popped into frame

"Easy, mom..."

"We don't mind, really" Kano agreed.

"Then something inexpensive."

"Sure sure, just something to show your trip"

Yuri

A moment Yuri wondered if she should go back to her mom and cousins but oh well, she still wanted to spend time with this little group, they were nice and it was fun to mingle with some other locals too. "Shade sounds nice. Good to get out of the sun for a bit. And sports huh? Well I'm not a hardcore fan but my dad and I watch baseball together a lot. On TV when a game is on. Shiba Tigers is our home team so of course we root for them when they're doing well."

[Tummylandia and Susistan]

Adriana Jimenez
Donrua Beach Bar

"Hmm... I would like a mimosa" she said. After a minute her drink arrived. "Thank you." she said to the bartender. "The beaches here are quite nice, similar to my country however more cleaner." she blurted before taking a sip of her drink. "Maybe I should visit or even move here when I retire!" she said as she took another sip.

[Horasia]

Caja Prioca of the Tribe of Conn.
I bowed my head – they'd most likely be among the last costumers I would take care of, it was late morning, after all, there'd be a change in shift, soon.
I still smiled and motioned forward.
“Please follow me, then, Ma'ams.”, I said and began to move towards one of the free tables – free, unreserved and with two chairs, ideal for our purposes. I had grabbed two menus as well. As soon as the two were comfortably sitting, I handed them the menus and told them: “Once you are ready to order, please do not hesitate to flag down either myself or one of my colleagues.” I bowed. “I will see you in a few minutes.”

Donrua Beach Bar - Sanna und Katrín
Sanna and Katrín were led to a table that could accommodate exactly two people. They were handed menus and told to call the young waitress or a colleague as soon as they found something. The two Horas thanked them and were now engrossed in the menu. When the waitress went her way again, Sanna glanced up at Katrín from her menu.

"She's cute, don't you think?" she said to her girlfriend in Finnish with a cheeky smile.

"You and your ulterior motives," Katrín replied. "Who knows if it's normal here for a woman who has been taken to look after others."

"You can always flirt a little," she looked at the menu again. "What would you want?".

"Something with caffeine. The breakfast buffet only had coffee and it's just too hot for that...and it's just too early for lunch," Katrín scanned the menu and pointed. "Perfect! There's iced coffee here".

"I'd like something sweet, what do you think of the homemade ice cream?"

Katrín nodded and Sanna waved to a waiter, trying to get the young waitress from just now.

When she comes, she says in English:
"Two iced coffees please... and the homemade ice cream sounds interesting".

"Exactly," Katrín agreed. Not that you would find it funny that Sanna proactively takes over the talking, but that's the way she is.

[The Selkie]

IC: Miss Fazlic kicked the ball back. “Kids are soo cute, I’d love to have someone one day.” She said, “Great sweetie, so long as you’ve finished university, worked full time for three years and gotten married?” Said the father, Dr. Fazlic. Meanwhile, the father asked, “I’m going to grab a cola, do you ladies want one?” to his wife and his daughter.

The lad shouted a thank you and that was it as far as he was concerned.
His friends were in a similar boat and returned to their game and their older siblings, and in one case mother, went back to watching over their kids and their conversations.
The Fazlics vanished from their minds as quickly as they entered it.
As for the cola, the question of where the father would get them from depended entirely on what he meant: There was no Coca Cola in the Free Lands, but if he wanted lemonade, there was a little corner store a bit away and there was of course the Donrua Beach Bar.

"Spices?" Albert thought, looking to James and Alex.

"I'll take whatever the mildest" Says Alex, trying to avoid anything spicy. Albert and James chuckled a bit, making fun of his dislike to spices.

"Unlike my friend, I'll take the medium spice or whatever it's called, and I'm assuming you, Albert, are going with nothing". Says James, trying to impress the waitress a little bit.

"No, I'll take a mild spice, thanks". He'd respond to the waitress, as the three continued to joke around. As the waitress walked away, James took an eye for the pool nearby, looking down to James holding a football (soccer ball) to his feet.

"You brought the football? Thought that was banned on flights?" Asked Albert, trying to loosely map out where the three could play their favourite sport.

"No, it is. Some flights changed it I think. Not sure why you'd be the one to recognise a footballs, you couldn't kick a frozen can!". He'd chuckle, shifting the ball a few inches left and right.

"At least he can kick without getting injured. Unlike either of you, I don't get injured every few minutes nor can I actually kick a football properly". Alex responded, shifting the ball from James's feet and repeating what James' was doing.

"Whatever. Footy after the drinks?". James said to the two of them.

"Alright" Said Alex and Albert to similar times.

Isla Nathaira of the Tribe of Cork.
I smiled as one of them tried to impress me by ordering the mediumly spiced one while his friends ordered the mild one. I noted it all down all the same and nodded...
...noticing the football, but not commenting on it. As long as they didn't kick it while in here, they were fine.
“Alright.”, I said and put my note pad away, bowing (which caused an interesting bit of movement), and then adding: “Please be patient while we prepare everything.” I threw the brave one (James, a name, which I did not yet know) a wink. “I will be back in a minute.”
Admittedly, it took a bit more then a minute until I returned with a colleague in tow. Kiana carried the beers, massive three glass tankards on a tablet with her, filled with beer from Ridderli, Heeser Lager Beer.
We Selkie were more ale drinkers.
That being said, I myself carried the Tlaxcallis, the maize flatbreads filled with delicious fillings and garnished with the requested sauces. Placing the servings right in front of the people, who requested them, the two of us, Kiana and I, stood between James and Alex in the end.
Bowing.
“If you require anything more, please do not hesitate and flag down me or one of my colleagues.”, I spoke as I rose. “We wish good appetite.”
And with that, we left them alone.

Clement Saavedra
Donrua Beach Bar

"I won't pretend to understand all of it, but from what I do understand," Clement replied, "it's actually something to behold; seeing the people who were once under your care grow to become their own persons is a source of pride." While he didn't walk the road Ernest did, his reputation as one of the Confederation's most iconic DJs was often a source of pride for the old man.
"If there is one thing constant about the winds of change, it's that they blow."As he took a sip from a refilled glass, Clement looked out before turning back to Brenda. "The winds always blow, and if one fails to adapt, they will be torn apart."

Brenda Anuchtar of the Tribe of Navan.
“I have to disagree, Clement.”, I said and smiled, “The winds blow, yes, but rather then being torn apart by them, those, who fails to adjust their sails, will be overtaken by those, who did.” I shrugged. “I was bosun on the Eachtrán-Lapa during my time as a Younger Militiawoman.”
Good times those were – and I was aware of the irony of the former bosun now owning a restaurant.
“That being said, I'd like to think, that my bar is a safe harbour for those, who need a safe harbour.”, I told him.

Taking her husband by the hand to pull him along, Shiho was ready and waiting to get going in the thrill and spirit of competition. Frankly her husband hadn't seen this side of her before but oh well, he found it surprising and well certainly another reason to love her. Given her energy it was one less mystery why she took to Kara so well after they married. "C'mon love, we're gonna kick some and show what we islanders are made of!"

"Hehe all right"

Speaking of Kara, she and Alaina were ushered over to another lady named Lyra. Alaina took the liberty of introducing them both by name so Kara gave a friendly wave hello in response. "Galen" Kara repeated nodding along in understanding. "Silly question but what does that name mean? I ask because it reminds me of the Common word Gale, ya know strong wind, yeah? My name ya know means beloved person. But if ya ask my papa he says a better name for me would have been Fajra!"

Alaina Udh of the Tribe of Navan.
“The calm one.”, Lyra replied and smiled, “So something completely different from a gale.”
And speaking of which, a boy, a few years older then the two of us, greeted her with a calm wave. He was definitely her brother, a white haired, blue eyed boy, who exchanged a few words with her and then nodded to us.
“Hi.”, he said and gave us a small smile, “I'm Galen.”

Ava Udh of the Tribe of Navan.
Shiho was certainly fired up, Fintan certainly noticed.
I did, too.
“Wonderful!”, he said and gave that dashing smile, “Now, the game is Kyrenaian Footvolley. Four people per team, aim is to keep the ball in the air, over the net, when the ball falls, the opposing team scores.” He grinned. “You aren't the first ones to play their first rounds here, so...”
He motioned to the other side of the field, where a couple of people stood, one of them with pretty cool looking metallic leg prostheses. They all looked a bit unsure, safe for...
...wait, was that Amy Ollmhór?!
She was an air racer, yes, but also known as a good sportswoman in general.
“...so we will have a practice match first.”, Fintan said and grinned.

The Twins and their Aunt

"We'll do our best!" The twins said together in unison. The sound of a pop ring tone "Oh!" Kano said, realizing it was her phone she started to dig through her beach bag to find it "Hey, it's Akko-chan!"

Shino sidled up to Kano's side as Kano put their friend on video chat.

"Heeeeey!" Akko from the video chat on phone enthusiastically said

"Akko, hey what time is it there?"

"Mmm about 7 AM yesterday morning. Got up to watch the sunrise but wouldn't ya know it..." Akko adjusted the phone to show the heavy snowfall from the window "So I'm just curled up under the kotatsu"

"No better place to be in winter, right?" Shino agreed "Sorry we gotta show ya the complete opposite here."

"Ah no worries. So what else ya two doing right now?"

"Oh uh, say hello to our friend Akko." If anyone else in the group wanted to give their friend back home a hello, this was a good time.

"Akko, we're going to try horse riding tomorrow." Kano confessed

"Whaaaa! No way, you two are so lucky!"

"Yeah wish you could be here"

"Well oh well, it's fine. You two my besties so I'm happy for ya. Just uh bring me a souviner please?"

"Akko!" a voice from Akko's end popped into frame

"Easy, mom..."

"We don't mind, really" Kano agreed.

"Then something inexpensive."

"Sure sure, just something to show your trip"

Yuri

A moment Yuri wondered if she should go back to her mom and cousins but oh well, she still wanted to spend time with this little group, they were nice and it was fun to mingle with some other locals too. "Shade sounds nice. Good to get out of the sun for a bit. And sports huh? Well I'm not a hardcore fan but my dad and I watch baseball together a lot. On TV when a game is on. Shiba Tigers is our home team so of course we root for them when they're doing well."

Mara Urgharda of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
When the kids got called, I decided to take Lilly (and Yuri's sarong) to me, Mavie pouring fresh tea and lemonade, while Mona contemplated something.
Once the twins hung up, she spoke up: “Souvenirs, huh...”, she said and looked to me, “Mom, would you mind me taking the two of them to that nice shop by the road?”
“You mean the flat-roofed one on the way here?” Mom's question was replied to by a firm nod. “Sure, if their aunt agrees and they want to?”
I looked at the mother with big eyes.

Galen Ainimh of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
“Baseball is not what I had in mind.”, Ciaran said and led us to the footvolley field, “Kyrenaian Footvolley. Not what I usually go in for, but still quite fun.”
We did not know their names, but Shiho and her husband were preparing for their own first try matches, which would serve as a good introduction to the sport for Yuri.
“We play it a lot in school.”, I supplied with a smile.

Adriana Jimenez
Donrua Beach Bar

"Hmm... I would like a mimosa" she said. After a minute her drink arrived. "Thank you." she said to the bartender. "The beaches here are quite nice, similar to my country however more cleaner." she blurted before taking a sip of her drink. "Maybe I should visit or even move here when I retire!" she said as she took another sip.

Conan Mesacán of the Tribe of Conn.
The Mimosa was a light drink, sparkling wine and orange juice in equal measures, nothing too fancy, quickly prepared and even quicker served.
“You're welcome.”, I told the woman, then smiled.
The bar was for quick drinks, people drinking them and conversing before departing to meet friends, to deepen friendships or other such things.
“Yeah, we do take care of our environment.”, I said with a proud smile, “Both as a society and... well, would you voluntarily go into a beach bar on a dirty beach and buy a drink?” I shrugged with a smile. “We clean up at least thrice a week.”

Donrua Beach Bar - Sanna und Katrín
Sanna and Katrín were led to a table that could accommodate exactly two people. They were handed menus and told to call the young waitress or a colleague as soon as they found something. The two Horas thanked them and were now engrossed in the menu. When the waitress went her way again, Sanna glanced up at Katrín from her menu.

"She's cute, don't you think?" she said to her girlfriend in Finnish with a cheeky smile.

"You and your ulterior motives," Katrín replied. "Who knows if it's normal here for a woman who has been taken to look after others."

"You can always flirt a little," she looked at the menu again. "What would you want?".

"Something with caffeine. The breakfast buffet only had coffee and it's just too hot for that...and it's just too early for lunch," Katrín scanned the menu and pointed. "Perfect! There's iced coffee here".

"I'd like something sweet, what do you think of the homemade ice cream?"

Katrín nodded and Sanna waved to a waiter, trying to get the young waitress from just now.

When she comes, she says in English:
"Two iced coffees please... and the homemade ice cream sounds interesting".

"Exactly," Katrín agreed. Not that you would find it funny that Sanna proactively takes over the talking, but that's the way she is.

Caja Prioca of the Tribe of Conn.
And, lo and behold, the two nordic-looking women flagged me down and I appeared.
“Are you ready to order, Ma'ams?”, I asked and, upon receiving their orders, bowed again, “Please wait a moment while we prepare your order. I will be back in a minute.”
While it took a few minutes to prepare the dishes, I returned with a colleague – Maive, the mousy, bespectacled brunette, carried the ice cream, I carried the iced coffees.
We arrived, set the dishes in front of the two, ended up on one side and, with the tablets in front of our stomachs, bowed.
“If you require anything more, please do not hesitate to flag down either me or one of my colleagues.”, I spoke, “Please enjoy your dishes – and good appetite.”
With that, we left them.

[Mirum]

Felicia Lách of the Tribe of Galway.
I finished my drink in one gulp, too, though it was a smaller one, and closed the distance between me and Varic. I offered him an arm to link, grinning.
To one side, a sort-of concert was going on, a bit further down the beach an impromptu field lend itself to a footvolley game or two with people standing around watching, forming teams or cheering for them.
An ice cream stall and many people lounging in the sun were between them and us, including several people with horses, their saddlebags evidence of them belonging to the Lifeguards – and with how many people were in the water, they were hopefully not needed. A few sandcastle building sites were there as well, some of them nearing completion, while others lay abandoned.
And, of course, behind us was the Showroom of Tauwerk Water Gun Foundries.
I smiled at Varic.
“So... anything catching your eye?”, I asked.

Felecia finished her drink, offering Varic an arm to link. He took it- hoping it wouldn't be too awkward for either of them- as he took in the sights. A concert-like event, a form of sporting game, an ice cream stall, sandcastle building sites, the beach itself, and then of course- the crown jewel of it all- the water gun showroom. Felecia smiled and spoke up.

"So... anything catching your eye?"

"Well, I'm inclined to visit the Tauwerk showroom first, if that seems fine with you. I've heard of them once before- looked at their catalogue but never bought- and I think it's about time that I do. What do you think?"

[Greater Bruges]

The Selkie -

Isla Nathaira of the Tribe of Cork.
I smiled as one of them tried to impress me by ordering the mediumly spiced one while his friends ordered the mild one. I noted it all down all the same and nodded...
...noticing the football, but not commenting on it. As long as they didn't kick it while in here, they were fine.
“Alright.”, I said and put my note pad away, bowing (which caused an interesting bit of movement), and then adding: “Please be patient while we prepare everything.” I threw the brave one (James, a name, which I did not yet know) a wink. “I will be back in a minute.”
Admittedly, it took a bit more then a minute until I returned with a colleague in tow. Kiana carried the beers, massive three glass tankards on a tablet with her, filled with beer from Ridderli, Heeser Lager Beer.
We Selkie were more ale drinkers.
That being said, I myself carried the Tlaxcallis, the maize flatbreads filled with delicious fillings and garnished with the requested sauces. Placing the servings right in front of the people, who requested them, the two of us, Kiana and I, stood between James and Alex in the end.
Bowing.
“If you require anything more, please do not hesitate and flag down me or one of my colleagues.”, I spoke as I rose. “We wish good appetite.”
And with that, we left them alone.

James looked down to his plate, as-well to his drink. A little overwhelmed by the amount of food, he'd go for the beer first. "I think one of those waitresses winked at me. Works every time". James said, chuckling a little as he gulped down some of the beer.

"Whatever, James. You have a girlfriend, can't you lay off the women for a week?". Questioned Albert, taking a small bite from the flatbread, a bit of the sauce dripping on his shirt.

"Way!" Shouted James and Alex, sighting the stain on his shirt. "Not even surprised at that one". Said Alex, taking a few gulps from his beer.

"Those waitresses seemed nice. You think they live here?". Asked Alex, the.. most knowledge-challnaged of the three.

"Obviously, you idiot! You think those type of girls come here on holiday!". Said James, taking a large gulp from his beer.

"Alright, alright, was only asking. Seen anyone aside from the waitresses, Alex?". Asked Albert, trying to ignore James for a split second.

"No, not really. I'm sure there is a few nice ones here". Replied Alex, taking a larger bite from his flatbread.

Minutes passed of the three of them laughing, cheering and being boisterous per usual

"That was blood good! Let's get those waitresses back and play a bit of footy, eh?". He'd be quite loud, loud enough to cause a potential scene. He was also a little bit of lightweight, having had a few drinks before arriving at the hotel. Standing up, he'd almost immediately fall back down again.

"Had a bit too much to drink?" Asked Albert, still finishing off the last few of his beer.

"Maybe just a dip in the pool..". Said James, still lying on the ground, chuckling a little as Alex and Albert were too.

[New Visayan Islands]

Clement Saavedra
Donrua Beach Bar

"And that is something I can imagine," Clement replied, a somber tone in his response. "I don't think I could imagine what life would be like without such safe harbors being available to all who need them," he added.
"I must say, however, that I will not visit this alone next time, given the atmosphere and ambience. To say the least, Donrua is a wonder worth sharing." And I know exactly who to share its wonder with, he left unsaid. Perhaps after things improved back home, he could take Kimberly with him...

[Seleucid Pergamon]

Liv Longaidh of the Tribe of Waterford.
“Excellent!”, I said with a smile of my own, then dove forward into the water, rising back immediately, “Now that is a nice temperature!”
My smile now wide, I turned to Branwen, who was also in the water... and doing the doggy paddle.
She was smiling, though, so I'd be the last to disturb her fun.
Turning back to Ira, I added: “Now, let's see, what the bay has to offer?”

"With pleasure, explorer!"

Ira dived into the water again, this time heading beyond the sunken logs as if willing to disappear into the blue. Her eyes scanned around the seabed as she went deeper, and vividly displayed exhilaration as her sights darted along various, random locations. It was as if she were doing her job on site. Time passed by, and she was about to call off her search when, at a quick turn of her eyes to the right, an object exposed itself like a diamond from igneous rock. She took close scrutiny, and saw from its shape and material that it was a porcelain pot, ornamented with blue paint distinguishing birds and other elaborate patterns in Spanish fashion. A huge smile forming on both of their faces, Ira and Liv swam up to the surface, and after taking in several breaths, she showed the pot to Liv.

"Never thought I'd see this kind of pot at a place like this," she expressed.

[AHSCA]

Alaina Udh of the Tribe of Navan.
“The calm one.”, Lyra replied and smiled, “So something completely different from a gale.”
And speaking of which, a boy, a few years older then the two of us, greeted her with a calm wave. He was definitely her brother, a white haired, blue eyed boy, who exchanged a few words with her and then nodded to us.
“Hi.”, he said and gave us a small smile, “I'm Galen.”

Ava Udh of the Tribe of Navan.
Shiho was certainly fired up, Fintan certainly noticed.
I did, too.
“Wonderful!”, he said and gave that dashing smile, “Now, the game is Kyrenaian Footvolley. Four people per team, aim is to keep the ball in the air, over the net, when the ball falls, the opposing team scores.” He grinned. “You aren't the first ones to play their first rounds here, so...”
He motioned to the other side of the field, where a couple of people stood, one of them with pretty cool looking metallic leg prostheses. They all looked a bit unsure, safe for...
...wait, was that Amy Ollmhór?!
She was an air racer, yes, but also known as a good sportswoman in general.
“...so we will have a practice match first.”, Fintan said and grinned.

"Oooh!" How neat, it seems she was onto something, even if the name was the opposite but either way, it seemed like a nice name. But now formally being introduced to said Galen, he was prettty cute. "I'm Kara, it's nice to meet ya!" She flailed her arms in excitement and the chirping bird on her head reminded her "Oh yeah, this little guy is Pepa. Third in command! Well more like uuuh sixth? See there's papa, uncle, aunty, Stello, me then mama and Pepa ." Why she needed to list off the crew of the little boat that carried her here to the Freelands who knows besides she's just a goofy kid in the end. Plus her and her cousin's jobs on the boat tended to be very limited. Anyway, "And this is Alaina." Though chances are they might already know Alaina but she didn't know, plus Alaina was nice enough to introduce Kara so why not introduce her new friend too?

---

"Sounds simple enough." Shiho nodded and so did Veltuko. "Sounds a bit like volleyball even but with the goal to keep the ball up rather than hit the other court. Not a problem for me." Shiho said with plenty of confidence, well that was her sport and this may be different but close enough either way, let's just play some sports.

[Katase]

Mara Urgharda of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
When the kids got called, I decided to take Lilly (and Yuri's sarong) to me, Mavie pouring fresh tea and lemonade, while Mona contemplated something.
Once the twins hung up, she spoke up: “Souvenirs, huh...”, she said and looked to me, “Mom, would you mind me taking the two of them to that nice shop by the road?”
“You mean the flat-roofed one on the way here?” Mom's question was replied to by a firm nod. “Sure, if their aunt agrees and they want to?”
I looked at the mother with big eyes.

Galen Ainimh of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
“Baseball is not what I had in mind.”, Ciaran said and led us to the footvolley field, “Kyrenaian Footvolley. Not what I usually go in for, but still quite fun.”
We did not know their names, but Shiho and her husband were preparing for their own first try matches, which would serve as a good introduction to the sport for Yuri.
“We play it a lot in school.”, I supplied with a smile.

"Sure, see ya, Akko!" The twins waved as they ended their call. It seemed Mara had a good idea of where to take them to get a little gift. "Oh great!" they both agreed. "Aunty, it's okay?"

"Sure, go ahead. In fact" She handed them a little extra cash "Pick something out for your uncle from me? Anything is okay, you know he's not picky. And anything left over I suppose you can get Akko's mother something too"

"Sure we will."

"No problem! thanks aunty"

"All right, have fun and be careful."

"We will."

"Yeah we will."

She thought of going herself but aaaah the beach was just too nice she really didn't feel like moving from her little spot! Plus it was nice to have the two adults to talk with too. Her nieces and daughter could have some fun for a while too. Besides she still was a little jet lagged.

Yuri

Apparently the sports question wasn't just a little ice breaker Yuri found out, as he lead them along to a field "Footvolley huh?" Yuri didn't know what it was but it did sound interesting. "Well you think they'd mind us joining a game? I'm game." Oh my did she really just make THAT pun?

[Ezhara]

Water guns
The sun beating down, the waves crashing, and the boys walked in, with Kasem removing his windbreaker and shirt and tossing them near the designated starting area, revealing an athletic, youthful build that was eager to grow up to develop into a man's strength, to become a bastion of protection and love. Next to him, Eiko only tightened his yukata and glanced around, shuffled as he walked. Around him came a mist-like, vague fear, like a child who knew the odor of smoke in their house but didn't recognize that it heralded fire, and still he remained silent.
"Eiko?"
He blinked. "It's..." He looked Kasem over, trying to push those thoughts down, of the way he was... He sighed, feeling Kagutsuchi's flames drain away. "It's nothing."
"I mean... well, you just seem really distracted."
Eiko reached out to a curl of his hair, refrained for a moment when he felt an undesired, buried hunger reach out from within him, but the sweetness of his beloved's concern was enough to assuage and cool it. He reached in to stroke the curl. "Look, I'll get into the right rhythm soon enough. Trust me. Look, if we win—"
Kasem leaned in, and Eiko whispered something to him, and a grin spread across him.

Seems they had an exciting plan of their own — a dessert, most likely.

On the other side were Lorenzo, surveying the area and carrying an extra water gun at his waist, and Kaz, who was carrying the small buckets from the wagon.
"Dang it..." Lorenzo said. "Thought we'd be on beach sands and dunes, not suburbia..."
"See what I meant?" Kaz chuckled. "Overprepared on all the wrong things."
"Better than dressing up like you're here for war."
"Not a war, not a war. Just a game that's my life— er—"
"Sounds like war enough."

"Well, all I got to lose is a bit of pride instead of my life." He paused to further examine the area around them, the suburban walls that didn't quite look destructible and held firm when he gave a gentle kick. "Not as bad as it could be. Course, I don't think I could fight in a war. Or kill anyone, really."
"Eh?" Kaz frowned. "Would've thought it wouldn't be too high of a step above."
Lorenzo shook his head. "It's guys like you who got no idea how bad kills are because you've lived your whole..." He paused. "Look, we'll argue later. For now, we got a fight, and neither of us can ruin this, got it? I've had to deal with plenty of people and teammates who'd rather me gone than there, just because of all the rumors— so don't go around thinking that I'm the problem, because I know for a fact that I can work just fine with other folks, got it?"
Kaz leered. "Really, why so defensive?"
Lorenzo tightened his grip on his gun, then breathed in, muttering to himself. "Don't even bother... don't even bother..."

Shortly after, the game began.
Kasem and Lorenzo both sprinted ahead, followed at a slower pace by their partners, but once they were a few steps out of their initial areas, both changed. Kasem slowed and kept his water gun raised, and where before there was just a boy, there were now the promises of an inexperienced, but at least knowledgeable-enough, special forces of some sort. On the other side. Lorenzo scrambled up a wall, ending up on a top part that seemed too thin for any intended walking, but still he balanced and crawled atop it with ease.
And on the ground, behind and at least slightly clueless, were their partners.
It took Lorenzo only a few seconds of scrambling along the wall before he made a controlled tumble back down onto his side, not too far from Kaz. Before he approached him, though, he cupped his hands and whistled a strange, animal-like call down one of the avenues towards Kasem, who perked up when he heard it.
Stepped towards it, Eiko in tow until a hurried hand signal sent the actor back.
Kasem saw nothing and stepped back.

Lorenzo had taken out his water gun, gave it a rough aim, and fired above them.
Enough water landed for Kasem and Eiko to yelp, look skyward in a panic as their soaked hairs whipped droplets. "Lorenzo!" Kasem said, running down the avenue.
The perpetrator hurried back to Kaz, refilling at a bucket near them. "Got them. Now, you run back to spawn and sing, I'll flank them." With that said and Kaz obeying, Lorenzo grabbed the bucket, emptied the rest of it, and threw it towards the route where the other two boys would come from, letting it land with a clatter. That, he guessed, would've grabbed their attention, warned them to pay heed and that they were there. Yet, considering the earlier trap, he had enough doubts to go through with his part of the plan; perhaps they would be enraged enough to chase that sound, or at least bloodthirsty enough to seek an engagement.
He rounded a corner. Nothing. In the distance, Kaz's whispery singing rang out even softer and more echoey than usual, drawing in even a piece of Lorenzo's focus. "I talk and talk about love but it's above the clouds..."
Another corner.

Green. Lorenzo unholstered his Tauwerk gun and fired in the same motion, feeling the quick response, not nearly as great range, and he could already plot out how to play with these new toys. Before Eiko could fire back, the paintballer ducked behind cover.
An explosive, hateful epiphany rang across the field. "I can't see it with my clouded mind!"
Trouble. From around the corner, he could hear Eiko sprinting towards him.
Lorenzo fled. The sound of turning feet, and the paintballer grabbed the edge of the oncoming corner, pulling himself into safety, while his other hand sprayed the Tauwerk in a narrow arc above and to the side of himself, from in front of Lorenzo to behind him and aimed to where Eiko would be coming from. For once, the lower range was a benefit: just weak enough to clear the wall, Would that be it?

Kaz's singing had stopped. From Lorenzo's left came annoyed grunts, from the right and down a corridor came hurried steps. Shots were true, Kaz was being chased. The paintballer hurried towards his ally, and when the steps behind him sounded more direct, he whirled around and drew his Ezharan water gun in the same motion. Eiko rounded the corner. Lorenzo fired and sidestepped to his right, saw Eiko adjust, saw water only just miss the flying fabric of his sandy jacket.
He had to run.
A glance to the side as he sidestepped away, with Kaz running into his peripheral from the corridor nearby, and Lorenzo fled forward, down another corner.
Dead end. Water bucket. He holstered his weaponry, grabbed the bucket and heard the rushing feet of Eiko and he strode forward, bucket ready.

At the first sign of green kicking in, Lorenzo slung the bucket forward, inundating the corner in front of him, only to soak the ground instead of a yukata.
He smirked, unholstered his Tauwerk, and rolled right, blasting it in an arc in front of him, but Lorenzo knew that he'd be hit.
A small stream only just arced him, but from a glance at Eiko's scowl, he knew that for at least a moment, he held the advantage. Whether he could keep it... he rose from his roll just as quickly. A shot in front, arcing towards him, and he twisted downwards, while his other hand kept his rifle at a steady stream against Eiko. When the arc passed over him, he snaked his body below it, up, and away, sprinting away from his dead-end corner while keeping a constant stream, now towards Eiko's face.
The actor was not far behind in tracking him with his gun, but in the milliseconds of combat Lorenzo played in, "not far" meant an infinite gap. A stream of water easily blitzed towards Eiko's face, and his hands flew up to hold it back, buying Lorenzo just enough time to flee.

And for his rifle to run out. He heard an approaching pitter-patter— two, in fact.
He rounded a corner and glanced back. Kasem, in pursuit of Kaz, with Eiko just as fast with his own brief set of shots, cut off when he ran out of water.
A bucket right at his feet. He had two options, one boring and practical. The other was anywhere from funny to disastrous, and why not have a little bit of fun? So, he put his guns away and grabbed the bucket, first stretching his arm into the corridor, and then poking his head out, arm moving down to stow the bucket behind him.
"Down!"
Kaz obeyed and dove forward. Kasem and Eiko's eyes widened, but with Kaz in front of them, all Kasem could do was spread his body in front of Eiko, who ducked as the bucket's water came flying towards them. Both were soaked, Kasem more so.

"That can't—"
"Yes, it were!" With that done, Lorenzo took off to find another bucket. Gone were the swishes of Eiko's yukata.
Lorenzo realized that the sound of steps had become fainter, nearly imperceptible, and that for once, he was not the hunter, and that it excited him like no other opponent. In the certainties of the Cholätipaqmin paintball fields that he had memorized right down to the blades of grace and exact vaulting angles, against opponents who he'd seen a dozen times before, Kasem was something else, something new.
Lorenzo wanted this fight.
He kept his head on a swivel as he stalked through the corridors, sensitive to every slight motion, to every little sound. When he finally came to another bucket, he refilled his water, still looking around. If his enemy were to strike now—

Steps were close. He drew his gun in the direction and whistled, then threw his head away from where he had heard Kasem, letting the echo and the walls distort the sound as he backed away, curled left, peeked around the corner, saw nothing. He strode forward, still combat ready, turned the corner.
Nothing.
The sound of steps, and he whirled around, gun drawn, firing, stepping back, left— away, a streak of water at his side that would have struck him had he not turned. With a proper gun, something less pathetic than a water gun, it would've hit. Perhaps the scout was still used to them, although even Lorenzo found the gentle streams of Ezharan and Tauwerks alike a little too slow versus his usual paintball guns.

And again, Lorenzo ran and clambered up a wall, whipping his gun into his hand when he finished. With it, he surveyed the field, found Kasem not far, took a shot with his Ezharan one and felt the satisfying release of its shot as it narrowly missed, as a counterattack came flying towards him.
Kasem was more slippery than that, was he? Lorenzo tucked in his head, let himself fall, and sprang off of his feet, running backwards a few feet before then pivoting and fleeing again. Where to now, where to now... He figured he had at least a few more buckets to reload from on his side.
The game continued for a good several minutes — both Kasem and Lorenzo chased and hunted one another, neither boy letting up in their pursuits. From strategically draining water buckets to leaping over obstacles, to feints and lures, they were evenly matched at all points, and almost every success came twinged with a counter or a dodge form the victim. Neither was willing to relinquish victory so easily.
Intermittently, Kaz and Eiko would cross paths, but neither managed to stay for long before eventually fleeing and finding the other, at which point they would begin a much more reckless, hateful duel of nonstop barrages and thrown water.

But the match would end inevitably, and the dichotomy between everyone was deeply evident. First, there was Lorenzo with some splotches of water here and there, but otherwise mostly dry. Second was Kasem, his soaked curls hanging off like a pathetic salad from his head, though his gait remained as determined as a victor, and gave off an equal sense of a sort of masculine pride. In his hands were his discarded windbreaker and shirt, the latter of which he was using as a towel.
"Hey, Lorenzo?" Even his voice seemed just a little deeper.
"Yeah?"
"Think we can do this sorta thing again?" Kasem rolled up his shirt and squeezed it.
Behind him was Eiko, who grimaced in disgust as he watched his beloved's method of cleanup, and who himself was soaked through and through. Just like Kaz behind him, although the Idol had, at some point, tied his jacket and shirt to his waist, which only yielded a disapproving glance from Eiko.

"Jealous, Eiko?" There was the typical softness in his voice, but something else rode his velvet tones, worming its way through and above it, tainting the air. It was the sort of voice that a person would hear in a bedroom at night, curled up next to their lover, something so slightly wrong that they couldn't help but start up and say that they were going to get water or use the bathroom, grab their phone, hurry away, call someone, anyone, to at least wonder why they felt this... feeling.
And the call would go through, and they would glance, and they would find their lover standing there, asking what's wrong, knowing already what was wrong, and knowing that this was no nightmare, no dream, no sleep, but a desiccated truth, an epiphany that one had been sleeping with something that had just torn off the bandages.
But that wasn't Kaz. He still loved, but still, why did his voice sound so impure, so corrupting?

Eiko leered back, a flame of fury flickering in his eyes. "I wish you'd put a shirt on."
"Really? On a beach?"
"God..." The leer rose to a full glare, and the Idol smirked. "Is being a decent person not in your vocabulary?"
"Is relaxing not in yours?"
Eiko turned away and hurried to Kasem. If anything, Kaz's words seemed true: the actor still seemed tense even when he was close to his beloved and kept glancing around, but his gaze never lingered for long on Kaz and Kasem, and whenever he did, he always turned away just as quickly.
Kasem slipped on his soaked windbreaker and zipped it up.

Lorenzo turned around. "Say, we got anywhere close to eat?" He surveyed their clothes. "Second thought, you three look like you really ought to get a change. Especially you, Eiko. You look like you could go for a nap, even... or maybe a glass of tea."
"A cup of tea," he said. "I'm... not a fan of glass. Feels too expensive."
"But lacquer-wood ain't?"
"Ah, well..." He shrugged. "Wood is different."

[Horasia]

Caja Prioca of the Tribe of Conn.
And, lo and behold, the two nordic-looking women flagged me down and I appeared.
“Are you ready to order, Ma'ams?”, I asked and, upon receiving their orders, bowed again, “Please wait a moment while we prepare your order. I will be back in a minute.”
While it took a few minutes to prepare the dishes, I returned with a colleague – Maive, the mousy, bespectacled brunette, carried the ice cream, I carried the iced coffees.
We arrived, set the dishes in front of the two, ended up on one side and, with the tablets in front of our stomachs, bowed.
“If you require anything more, please do not hesitate to flag down either me or one of my colleagues.”, I spoke, “Please enjoy your dishes – and good appetite.”
With that, we left them.

The couple had their order brought to the table. It didn't take long and in general everything seemed to go very quickly, as if the waitresses were in a hurry. "Before you go," Sanna addressed her waitress. "Something seems to be organized here? Can you tell me something about it?"
At this question Katrín looked around.

[The Selkie]

Felecia finished her drink, offering Varic an arm to link. He took it- hoping it wouldn't be too awkward for either of them- as he took in the sights. A concert-like event, a form of sporting game, an ice cream stall, sandcastle building sites, the beach itself, and then of course- the crown jewel of it all- the water gun showroom. Felecia smiled and spoke up.

"So... anything catching your eye?"

"Well, I'm inclined to visit the Tauwerk showroom first, if that seems fine with you. I've heard of them once before- looked at their catalogue but never bought- and I think it's about time that I do. What do you think?"

Felicia Lách of the Tribe of Galway.
“Sure.”, I said with a smile and with our arms linked turned our course towards the showroom area. “I have actually tested some of their products when a friend let me fire a few shots and they are good.”
I nodded.
“It should be fun.”
It didn't take long for us to arrive and be welcomed by a blonde woman with blue eyes in a bikini behind a table, a bunch of shelves behind her with all the fun water guns Tauwerk had to offer – their assault rifle, their SMG, their machine gun, their water shotgun, their squirt rifles and, of course, not behind the woman but a bit to the side, the Wasserkampfwagen I Tiger.
“Hi and welcome.”, the woman greeted us, “What can I help you with?”

James looked down to his plate, as-well to his drink. A little overwhelmed by the amount of food, he'd go for the beer first. "I think one of those waitresses winked at me. Works every time". James said, chuckling a little as he gulped down some of the beer.

"Whatever, James. You have a girlfriend, can't you lay off the women for a week?". Questioned Albert, taking a small bite from the flatbread, a bit of the sauce dripping on his shirt.

"Way!" Shouted James and Alex, sighting the stain on his shirt. "Not even surprised at that one". Said Alex, taking a few gulps from his beer.

"Those waitresses seemed nice. You think they live here?". Asked Alex, the.. most knowledge-challnaged of the three.

"Obviously, you idiot! You think those type of girls come here on holiday!". Said James, taking a large gulp from his beer.

"Alright, alright, was only asking. Seen anyone aside from the waitresses, Alex?". Asked Albert, trying to ignore James for a split second.

"No, not really. I'm sure there is a few nice ones here". Replied Alex, taking a larger bite from his flatbread.

Minutes passed of the three of them laughing, cheering and being boisterous per usual

"That was blood good! Let's get those waitresses back and play a bit of footy, eh?". He'd be quite loud, loud enough to cause a potential scene. He was also a little bit of lightweight, having had a few drinks before arriving at the hotel. Standing up, he'd almost immediately fall back down again.

"Had a bit too much to drink?" Asked Albert, still finishing off the last few of his beer.

"Maybe just a dip in the pool..". Said James, still lying on the ground, chuckling a little as Alex and Albert were too.

Isla Nathaira of the Tribe of Cork.
The three were a bit louder then other costumers, but not to the point of going on other customers' nerves. There were enough of those, including more then enough females of various ages and in many different styles of dress, including, of course, swimsuits.
Attention fell on them again, when one of them rose only to fall down in a drunken stupor, the other two remaining seated.
I motioned to one of my colleagues, one of the barbacks, to come to my aid, the young man helping James back up quite easily.
“Everything alright with you three?”, I asked with a polite smile, all hints of flirtiness gone in favour of strict professionalism – one of their friends just fell, after all, and they had a certain volume before. “Can we bring you something? Maybe an ice pack for your friend?”
The barback checked James for signs of alcohol intoxication or food poisoning or injuries, while I talked with the other two.

Clement Saavedra
Donrua Beach Bar

"And that is something I can imagine," Clement replied, a somber tone in his response. "I don't think I could imagine what life would be like without such safe harbors being available to all who need them," he added.
"I must say, however, that I will not visit this alone next time, given the atmosphere and ambience. To say the least, Donrua is a wonder worth sharing." And I know exactly who to share its wonder with, he left unsaid. Perhaps after things improved back home, he could take Kimberly with him...

Brenda Anuchtar of the Tribe of Navan.
I smiled.
“That is wonderful to hear. This harbour is open to all.”, I told him and then made to rise, “But I'm afraid, that I must get going, Clement. Soon, we'll switch shifts and I am needed for the balancing – we might not take money today, but we still need to do logistics. And the girls from the Midday Shift need to be instructed.”
I smiled at Clement.
“I'll be glad to welcome you and your girlfriend here one day. Maybe even the honeymoon.” I threw him a teasing wink and added: “Please enjoy your time here. I'll send one of my girls in case you need something more.”

"With pleasure, explorer!"

Ira dived into the water again, this time heading beyond the sunken logs as if willing to disappear into the blue. Her eyes scanned around the seabed as she went deeper, and vividly displayed exhilaration as her sights darted along various, random locations. It was as if she were doing her job on site. Time passed by, and she was about to call off her search when, at a quick turn of her eyes to the right, an object exposed itself like a diamond from igneous rock. She took close scrutiny, and saw from its shape and material that it was a porcelain pot, ornamented with blue paint distinguishing birds and other elaborate patterns in Spanish fashion. A huge smile forming on both of their faces, Ira and Liv swam up to the surface, and after taking in several breaths, she showed the pot to Liv.

"Never thought I'd see this kind of pot at a place like this," she expressed.

Liv Longaidh of the Tribe of Waterford.
I waited, almost went to dive for Ira, when she rose – with a ceramics pot.
Porcelain, rather, as I quickly saw, painted with blue elaborate patterns, birds and other figures. I turned it in my hands.
“Me neither.”, I admitted, turned the pot in my hand again and mumbled: “Almost looks Okunaratsuran to me...” I looked at Ira. “We should show this one to Ritu, she might know, if it is of her people or not.”
I motioned to the ocean.
“And we should keep in mind, where we found that for when the archies from Leuda come.”, I added, referencing the archaeologists from the UoL, who would make it their dig site.

"Oooh!" How neat, it seems she was onto something, even if the name was the opposite but either way, it seemed like a nice name. But now formally being introduced to said Galen, he was prettty cute. "I'm Kara, it's nice to meet ya!" She flailed her arms in excitement and the chirping bird on her head reminded her "Oh yeah, this little guy is Pepa. Third in command! Well more like uuuh sixth? See there's papa, uncle, aunty, Stello, me then mama and Pepa ." Why she needed to list off the crew of the little boat that carried her here to the Freelands who knows besides she's just a goofy kid in the end. Plus her and her cousin's jobs on the boat tended to be very limited. Anyway, "And this is Alaina." Though chances are they might already know Alaina but she didn't know, plus Alaina was nice enough to introduce Kara so why not introduce her new friend too?

---

"Sounds simple enough." Shiho nodded and so did Veltuko. "Sounds a bit like volleyball even but with the goal to keep the ball up rather than hit the other court. Not a problem for me." Shiho said with plenty of confidence, well that was her sport and this may be different but close enough either way, let's just play some sports.

Alaina Udh of the Tribe of Navan.
I smiled and gave Galen a little wave. He was older then the two of us, but he looked cute.
I did not know, that I agreed with Kara on that one.
“Pleasure to meet you.”, Galen said with a small bow, then focussed on Kara: “I take that the two of you and your family came via the sea? That's neat.”
He motioned for us to follow him towards a bunch of trees with a few other teenagers and kids sitting underneath with perfect view of the playing field, where the first teams were taking position. I recognized a few of the kids from my elementary school, but no classmates of mine, so I stuck to Kara and Galen and to Lyra, who made up the rear.

Ava Udh of the Tribe of Navan.
“If you say so...”, Fintan said with a grin, taking up the ball.
It was a standard football, black and white like the classic, and Fintan directed me to be the Lifter, close to the net. Miss Ollmhor stood opposite to me. My role would be to see to it, that any short strikes wouldn't lead to the opposite team scoring.
“You two...”, Fintan explained to Shiho and Veltuko, “...are our strikers. Your role it to play the ball high and either to me or to Ava or, if you see a chance, over the net as a strike upon the opposing team.” He smiled. “Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it! Questions?”

"Sure, see ya, Akko!" The twins waved as they ended their call. It seemed Mara had a good idea of where to take them to get a little gift. "Oh great!" they both agreed. "Aunty, it's okay?"

"Sure, go ahead. In fact" She handed them a little extra cash "Pick something out for your uncle from me? Anything is okay, you know he's not picky. And anything left over I suppose you can get Akko's mother something too"

"Sure we will."

"No problem! thanks aunty"

"All right, have fun and be careful."

"We will."

"Yeah we will."

She thought of going herself but aaaah the beach was just too nice she really didn't feel like moving from her little spot! Plus it was nice to have the two adults to talk with too. Her nieces and daughter could have some fun for a while too. Besides she still was a little jet lagged.

Yuri

Apparently the sports question wasn't just a little ice breaker Yuri found out, as he lead them along to a field "Footvolley huh?" Yuri didn't know what it was but it did sound interesting. "Well you think they'd mind us joining a game? I'm game." Oh my did she really just make THAT pun?

Mara Urgharda of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
Rona kissed me and Mavie on the cheeks, then she was off with her two new friends. Mavie and I looked after her, as they went for the treeline, then onto the path.
I smiled.
“They grow up quickly, don't they?”, Mavie wondered out loud with a smile.

Rona Urgharda of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
With Shino and Kano by my side, we departed our mothers, towards the small shop I had in mind, but first...
“We should get Sóisear, he would be a wonderful pack horse!”, I told them, grinning, “He is my horse. The distance is too short to ride him and he wouldn't carry multiple people anyway, he's not trained for that.” We scaled the little rise in terrain from the beach to the 'parking lot', where a few cars, a few carts, and a few people were, but a little paddock to the side was for horses. My colt wasn't alone. “Do you want to wait here or do you want to come along?”

Galen Ainimh of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I smiled at Ciaran. “Don't say it.”
Ciaran smiled back before he turned to Yuri. “I'm not sure, but the old man might want to observe. I'd be up for it, if they need two more people.”, he said.
“You... little...!” I was at a loss for words.
Ciaran's grin got more teasing. “The term you're looking for is whippersnapper. Don't stress yourself, old man, and...” He put a hand on my shoulder, I bonked him onto the head. “Ow! That hurt!”
“It was meant to.”, I said calmly, then turned to Yuri. “Don't worry, we only need one more, then we'll have a full team.”

Water guns
The sun beating down, the waves crashing, and the boys walked in, with Kasem removing his windbreaker and shirt and tossing them near the designated starting area, revealing an athletic, youthful build that was eager to grow up to develop into a man's strength, to become a bastion of protection and love. Next to him, Eiko only tightened his yukata and glanced around, shuffled as he walked. Around him came a mist-like, vague fear, like a child who knew the odor of smoke in their house but didn't recognize that it heralded fire, and still he remained silent.
"Eiko?"
He blinked. "It's..." He looked Kasem over, trying to push those thoughts down, of the way he was... He sighed, feeling Kagutsuchi's flames drain away. "It's nothing."
"I mean... well, you just seem really distracted."
Eiko reached out to a curl of his hair, refrained for a moment when he felt an undesired, buried hunger reach out from within him, but the sweetness of his beloved's concern was enough to assuage and cool it. He reached in to stroke the curl. "Look, I'll get into the right rhythm soon enough. Trust me. Look, if we win—"
Kasem leaned in, and Eiko whispered something to him, and a grin spread across him.

Seems they had an exciting plan of their own — a dessert, most likely.

On the other side were Lorenzo, surveying the area and carrying an extra water gun at his waist, and Kaz, who was carrying the small buckets from the wagon.
"Dang it..." Lorenzo said. "Thought we'd be on beach sands and dunes, not suburbia..."
"See what I meant?" Kaz chuckled. "Overprepared on all the wrong things."
"Better than dressing up like you're here for war."
"Not a war, not a war. Just a game that's my life— er—"
"Sounds like war enough."

"Well, all I got to lose is a bit of pride instead of my life." He paused to further examine the area around them, the suburban walls that didn't quite look destructible and held firm when he gave a gentle kick. "Not as bad as it could be. Course, I don't think I could fight in a war. Or kill anyone, really."
"Eh?" Kaz frowned. "Would've thought it wouldn't be too high of a step above."
Lorenzo shook his head. "It's guys like you who got no idea how bad kills are because you've lived your whole..." He paused. "Look, we'll argue later. For now, we got a fight, and neither of us can ruin this, got it? I've had to deal with plenty of people and teammates who'd rather me gone than there, just because of all the rumors— so don't go around thinking that I'm the problem, because I know for a fact that I can work just fine with other folks, got it?"
Kaz leered. "Really, why so defensive?"
Lorenzo tightened his grip on his gun, then breathed in, muttering to himself. "Don't even bother... don't even bother..."

Shortly after, the game began.
Kasem and Lorenzo both sprinted ahead, followed at a slower pace by their partners, but once they were a few steps out of their initial areas, both changed. Kasem slowed and kept his water gun raised, and where before there was just a boy, there were now the promises of an inexperienced, but at least knowledgeable-enough, special forces of some sort. On the other side. Lorenzo scrambled up a wall, ending up on a top part that seemed too thin for any intended walking, but still he balanced and crawled atop it with ease.
And on the ground, behind and at least slightly clueless, were their partners.
It took Lorenzo only a few seconds of scrambling along the wall before he made a controlled tumble back down onto his side, not too far from Kaz. Before he approached him, though, he cupped his hands and whistled a strange, animal-like call down one of the avenues towards Kasem, who perked up when he heard it.
Stepped towards it, Eiko in tow until a hurried hand signal sent the actor back.
Kasem saw nothing and stepped back.

Lorenzo had taken out his water gun, gave it a rough aim, and fired above them.
Enough water landed for Kasem and Eiko to yelp, look skyward in a panic as their soaked hairs whipped droplets. "Lorenzo!" Kasem said, running down the avenue.
The perpetrator hurried back to Kaz, refilling at a bucket near them. "Got them. Now, you run back to spawn and sing, I'll flank them." With that said and Kaz obeying, Lorenzo grabbed the bucket, emptied the rest of it, and threw it towards the route where the other two boys would come from, letting it land with a clatter. That, he guessed, would've grabbed their attention, warned them to pay heed and that they were there. Yet, considering the earlier trap, he had enough doubts to go through with his part of the plan; perhaps they would be enraged enough to chase that sound, or at least bloodthirsty enough to seek an engagement.
He rounded a corner. Nothing. In the distance, Kaz's whispery singing rang out even softer and more echoey than usual, drawing in even a piece of Lorenzo's focus. "I talk and talk about love but it's above the clouds..."
Another corner.

Green. Lorenzo unholstered his Tauwerk gun and fired in the same motion, feeling the quick response, not nearly as great range, and he could already plot out how to play with these new toys. Before Eiko could fire back, the paintballer ducked behind cover.
An explosive, hateful epiphany rang across the field. "I can't see it with my clouded mind!"
Trouble. From around the corner, he could hear Eiko sprinting towards him.
Lorenzo fled. The sound of turning feet, and the paintballer grabbed the edge of the oncoming corner, pulling himself into safety, while his other hand sprayed the Tauwerk in a narrow arc above and to the side of himself, from in front of Lorenzo to behind him and aimed to where Eiko would be coming from. For once, the lower range was a benefit: just weak enough to clear the wall, Would that be it?

Kaz's singing had stopped. From Lorenzo's left came annoyed grunts, from the right and down a corridor came hurried steps. Shots were true, Kaz was being chased. The paintballer hurried towards his ally, and when the steps behind him sounded more direct, he whirled around and drew his Ezharan water gun in the same motion. Eiko rounded the corner. Lorenzo fired and sidestepped to his right, saw Eiko adjust, saw water only just miss the flying fabric of his sandy jacket.
He had to run.
A glance to the side as he sidestepped away, with Kaz running into his peripheral from the corridor nearby, and Lorenzo fled forward, down another corner.
Dead end. Water bucket. He holstered his weaponry, grabbed the bucket and heard the rushing feet of Eiko and he strode forward, bucket ready.

At the first sign of green kicking in, Lorenzo slung the bucket forward, inundating the corner in front of him, only to soak the ground instead of a yukata.
He smirked, unholstered his Tauwerk, and rolled right, blasting it in an arc in front of him, but Lorenzo knew that he'd be hit.
A small stream only just arced him, but from a glance at Eiko's scowl, he knew that for at least a moment, he held the advantage. Whether he could keep it... he rose from his roll just as quickly. A shot in front, arcing towards him, and he twisted downwards, while his other hand kept his rifle at a steady stream against Eiko. When the arc passed over him, he snaked his body below it, up, and away, sprinting away from his dead-end corner while keeping a constant stream, now towards Eiko's face.
The actor was not far behind in tracking him with his gun, but in the milliseconds of combat Lorenzo played in, "not far" meant an infinite gap. A stream of water easily blitzed towards Eiko's face, and his hands flew up to hold it back, buying Lorenzo just enough time to flee.

And for his rifle to run out. He heard an approaching pitter-patter— two, in fact.
He rounded a corner and glanced back. Kasem, in pursuit of Kaz, with Eiko just as fast with his own brief set of shots, cut off when he ran out of water.
A bucket right at his feet. He had two options, one boring and practical. The other was anywhere from funny to disastrous, and why not have a little bit of fun? So, he put his guns away and grabbed the bucket, first stretching his arm into the corridor, and then poking his head out, arm moving down to stow the bucket behind him.
"Down!"
Kaz obeyed and dove forward. Kasem and Eiko's eyes widened, but with Kaz in front of them, all Kasem could do was spread his body in front of Eiko, who ducked as the bucket's water came flying towards them. Both were soaked, Kasem more so.

"That can't—"
"Yes, it were!" With that done, Lorenzo took off to find another bucket. Gone were the swishes of Eiko's yukata.
Lorenzo realized that the sound of steps had become fainter, nearly imperceptible, and that for once, he was not the hunter, and that it excited him like no other opponent. In the certainties of the Cholätipaqmin paintball fields that he had memorized right down to the blades of grace and exact vaulting angles, against opponents who he'd seen a dozen times before, Kasem was something else, something new.
Lorenzo wanted this fight.
He kept his head on a swivel as he stalked through the corridors, sensitive to every slight motion, to every little sound. When he finally came to another bucket, he refilled his water, still looking around. If his enemy were to strike now—

Steps were close. He drew his gun in the direction and whistled, then threw his head away from where he had heard Kasem, letting the echo and the walls distort the sound as he backed away, curled left, peeked around the corner, saw nothing. He strode forward, still combat ready, turned the corner.
Nothing.
The sound of steps, and he whirled around, gun drawn, firing, stepping back, left— away, a streak of water at his side that would have struck him had he not turned. With a proper gun, something less pathetic than a water gun, it would've hit. Perhaps the scout was still used to them, although even Lorenzo found the gentle streams of Ezharan and Tauwerks alike a little too slow versus his usual paintball guns.

And again, Lorenzo ran and clambered up a wall, whipping his gun into his hand when he finished. With it, he surveyed the field, found Kasem not far, took a shot with his Ezharan one and felt the satisfying release of its shot as it narrowly missed, as a counterattack came flying towards him.
Kasem was more slippery than that, was he? Lorenzo tucked in his head, let himself fall, and sprang off of his feet, running backwards a few feet before then pivoting and fleeing again. Where to now, where to now... He figured he had at least a few more buckets to reload from on his side.
The game continued for a good several minutes — both Kasem and Lorenzo chased and hunted one another, neither boy letting up in their pursuits. From strategically draining water buckets to leaping over obstacles, to feints and lures, they were evenly matched at all points, and almost every success came twinged with a counter or a dodge form the victim. Neither was willing to relinquish victory so easily.
Intermittently, Kaz and Eiko would cross paths, but neither managed to stay for long before eventually fleeing and finding the other, at which point they would begin a much more reckless, hateful duel of nonstop barrages and thrown water.

But the match would end inevitably, and the dichotomy between everyone was deeply evident. First, there was Lorenzo with some splotches of water here and there, but otherwise mostly dry. Second was Kasem, his soaked curls hanging off like a pathetic salad from his head, though his gait remained as determined as a victor, and gave off an equal sense of a sort of masculine pride. In his hands were his discarded windbreaker and shirt, the latter of which he was using as a towel.
"Hey, Lorenzo?" Even his voice seemed just a little deeper.
"Yeah?"
"Think we can do this sorta thing again?" Kasem rolled up his shirt and squeezed it.
Behind him was Eiko, who grimaced in disgust as he watched his beloved's method of cleanup, and who himself was soaked through and through. Just like Kaz behind him, although the Idol had, at some point, tied his jacket and shirt to his waist, which only yielded a disapproving glance from Eiko.

"Jealous, Eiko?" There was the typical softness in his voice, but something else rode his velvet tones, worming its way through and above it, tainting the air. It was the sort of voice that a person would hear in a bedroom at night, curled up next to their lover, something so slightly wrong that they couldn't help but start up and say that they were going to get water or use the bathroom, grab their phone, hurry away, call someone, anyone, to at least wonder why they felt this... feeling.
And the call would go through, and they would glance, and they would find their lover standing there, asking what's wrong, knowing already what was wrong, and knowing that this was no nightmare, no dream, no sleep, but a desiccated truth, an epiphany that one had been sleeping with something that had just torn off the bandages.
But that wasn't Kaz. He still loved, but still, why did his voice sound so impure, so corrupting?

Eiko leered back, a flame of fury flickering in his eyes. "I wish you'd put a shirt on."
"Really? On a beach?"
"God..." The leer rose to a full glare, and the Idol smirked. "Is being a decent person not in your vocabulary?"
"Is relaxing not in yours?"
Eiko turned away and hurried to Kasem. If anything, Kaz's words seemed true: the actor still seemed tense even when he was close to his beloved and kept glancing around, but his gaze never lingered for long on Kaz and Kasem, and whenever he did, he always turned away just as quickly.
Kasem slipped on his soaked windbreaker and zipped it up.

Lorenzo turned around. "Say, we got anywhere close to eat?" He surveyed their clothes. "Second thought, you three look like you really ought to get a change. Especially you, Eiko. You look like you could go for a nap, even... or maybe a glass of tea."
"A cup of tea," he said. "I'm... not a fan of glass. Feels too expensive."
"But lacquer-wood ain't?"
"Ah, well..." He shrugged. "Wood is different."

Lien Kardeel.
I watched the entire match from a small observation platform, where friends and family could watch, if they wanted – for those four, no one else watched, but it was decidedly worth watching. Especially Lorenzo had a good showing.
I came back to the area just in time to hear his question, and his conclusion.
I smiled, as I stated: “I can help you with the food, we did take over all food costs at the Donrua Beach Bar over there.” I pointed over my shoulder to the airy and open building. “As for changing...” I pondered for a moment. “...if you want, we have changing rooms aboard the Leiwand and some towels and shirts.” I hoped, that they did not mind the print, which was basically for the wearer being a walking advert for us. “Up to you, you four... though, I'm afraid, that I'd love to interview at least you, Lorenzo, about your experiences, but the offer is not bound to your agreement.”
I let it all sink in for the four.

The couple had their order brought to the table. It didn't take long and in general everything seemed to go very quickly, as if the waitresses were in a hurry. "Before you go," Sanna addressed her waitress. "Something seems to be organized here? Can you tell me something about it?"
At this question Katrín looked around.

Caja Prioca of the Tribe of Conn.
We were not in a hurry, but we had learned, that quick and decent service was a quick way for satisfied customers, which were also customers leaving positive reviews or comments or even returned.
And as such, I stopped when Sanna spoke to me.
“There are several things, actually.”, I told her, “On one hand, we here have a small concert outside. Then, a few people organized a Footvolley tournament a bit further down the beach. And, of course, the main event, Tauwerk Water Gun Foundries organized a showroom behind us.” I motioned over my shoulder, where the repurposed tank landing ship with the bright paint stood and formed the basis for the large area with multiple shooting ranges, a driving course for the tank with the giant water gun and the three 'maps' for water gun battles between friends. I added with a smile: “Among the three of us, once my shift is over, I'm going to go over.”

[New Visayan Islands]

Clement Saavedra
Donrua Beach Bar

"The sentiment, Brenda, is one I share as well," Clement replied. "I look forward to coming here with that specific, special person in my life," he added, as she left with a wink and the understanding that Clement and Kimberly would find themselves visiting the place soon enough.
Finding himself alone, he contemplated taking out his personal stash of bahalina. It was time enough, at this point, for a good drink.

[Katase]

Mara Urgharda of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
Rona kissed me and Mavie on the cheeks, then she was off with her two new friends. Mavie and I looked after her, as they went for the treeline, then onto the path.
I smiled.
“They grow up quickly, don't they?”, Mavie wondered out loud with a smile.

Rona Urgharda of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
With Shino and Kano by my side, we departed our mothers, towards the small shop I had in mind, but first...
“We should get Sóisear, he would be a wonderful pack horse!”, I told them, grinning, “He is my horse. The distance is too short to ride him and he wouldn't carry multiple people anyway, he's not trained for that.” We scaled the little rise in terrain from the beach to the 'parking lot', where a few cars, a few carts, and a few people were, but a little paddock to the side was for horses. My colt wasn't alone. “Do you want to wait here or do you want to come along?”

Galen Ainimh of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I smiled at Ciaran. “Don't say it.”
Ciaran smiled back before he turned to Yuri. “I'm not sure, but the old man might want to observe. I'd be up for it, if they need two more people.”, he said.
“You... little...!” I was at a loss for words.
Ciaran's grin got more teasing. “The term you're looking for is whippersnapper. Don't stress yourself, old man, and...” He put a hand on my shoulder, I bonked him onto the head. “Ow! That hurt!”
“It was meant to.”, I said calmly, then turned to Yuri. “Don't worry, we only need one more, then we'll have a full team.”

Rena Miyauchi

"Bye bye." She waved her two nieces goodbye when they went along with their new found friend. Mavie came back with food for thought sentence, "They certainly do." That triggered her thoughts on her daughter; off somewhere being a teenager and her nieces were, well they were still very much them, growing into adolescence. "I guess in their case, I'm glad they can still be their silly selves. Hehe...I was thinking out loud by what you just said, Mavie. Sorry I can call you Mavie, right?" Then again she probably didn't introduce herself any other way but she'd hate to be rude. They were a nice couple with an equally cute child, taking in a small band of clueless tourists like them.

Shino and Kano Mizusaki

Bidding their aunt goodbye it was time to go off and have some fun, surely tonight they'd be back together again and have fun as a family but it's nice to be able to hang with someone their own age (or close) for a bit too. Rona was so nice too, what's not to like? "Oooh your horse huh?" The twins said in twin-unison, which made them pause a second to look at each other, then back at Rona "We don't mind tagging along, do we Kano?"

"Don't mind at all, we'd like to come along."

Rena Miyauchi

Yuri giggled a little, they were pretty funny going back and forth like that. "I'm up for joining if you want another player." she volunteered herself "I'm not too shabby in PE class back home so I think I'll hold my own, all right."

[Ezhara]

I watched the entire match from a small observation platform...

"Food?" Kasem said. "I think that'd be nice. Same with the towel."
"You really are a guy..." Eiko said. "But the hotel's a bit far, so unless I can borrow a towel to cover my seat, I don't think we should." He looked towards Lien, and the tension around him flickered into an uncomfortable desire for privacy, the type from someone whose house's walls had all been broken down and now they were settling in bed for a horrid, sleepless night. Still, it was a mere flicker, felt just long enough to show that he was interpreting the game some other way.
Kaz smiled. "Towel will be all I'll need."
"Kaz," Eiko said, "you seem like the kind of guy who would need a shower after something like this."

Lorenzo stepped between them. "I wouldn't mind the interview, miss," he said. "Course, I'll admit I'm not a talking sort of guy, but I'll try to say what I can. I know..." He vaguely waved his hands. "Just enough to make it around, I think, from having to do them back home. How about you three?"
"I wouldn't mind." Kaz shrugged.
Eiko and Kasem both nodded, adorably in sync.
"Wonderful," Lorenzo said. "Always good to get a wide spread around."

[AHSCA]

Alaina Udh of the Tribe of Navan.
I smiled and gave Galen a little wave. He was older then the two of us, but he looked cute.
I did not know, that I agreed with Kara on that one.
“Pleasure to meet you.”, Galen said with a small bow, then focussed on Kara: “I take that the two of you and your family came via the sea? That's neat.”
He motioned for us to follow him towards a bunch of trees with a few other teenagers and kids sitting underneath with perfect view of the playing field, where the first teams were taking position. I recognized a few of the kids from my elementary school, but no classmates of mine, so I stuck to Kara and Galen and to Lyra, who made up the rear.

Ava Udh of the Tribe of Navan.
“If you say so...”, Fintan said with a grin, taking up the ball.
It was a standard football, black and white like the classic, and Fintan directed me to be the Lifter, close to the net. Miss Ollmhor stood opposite to me. My role would be to see to it, that any short strikes wouldn't lead to the opposite team scoring.
“You two...”, Fintan explained to Shiho and Veltuko, “...are our strikers. Your role it to play the ball high and either to me or to Ava or, if you see a chance, over the net as a strike upon the opposing team.” He smiled. “Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it! Questions?”

Kara

Kara nodded with so much enthusiasm, it forced little Pepa to flap its wings to glide on down "Yup yup, we did all right! I could tell ya all about it but uh only if you want to hear it, my cousin says I always talk to much which is probably why it's mostly him and me. Well that and we live in such a tiny little village on my home island." She caught herself doing what she promised she wouldn't do, keep on talking. "Uh Pepa, come on back up here, silly bird" She scooped up the little yellow bird placing it where it was always at home, on top her little head. "But really, I do talk a lot, I'm just that way. Sometimes I think my name should have really been Kanto or Tondra. "


Veltuko and Shiho

"I think I got it just fine. I'll do my best!" Shiho responded sort of for the both of them as Veltuko gave more a quiet nod in exchange. Just opposite personalities the two but that's why he loved her. Shiho tightened up her bandeau scrunched up her sarong and was ready to go, it's game time for her. Just as she mentioned, even Priestesses can be competitive.