expiationlogs | [open mingle] let's go to the beach-each, let's go get a wave

Who: Anyone in Aldrip on June 12th
Where: The beach close to town
What: A totally open mingle for a party on the beach
Warnings: potential for injury and alcohol use -- let me know if y'all do anything that needs to be warned for, and I'll update it!

The prompts are just suggestions below -- this is a completely open mingle, so feel free to make your own starters, tag around, and go wild!

The weather doesn't change overmuch in Aldrip, but what is summer if not a state of mind? If anything, the too-pleasant weather makes planning ahead a little easier. A video message from one Kotone Shiomi had gone out the day before to invite everybody -- and that means everybody, locals and Chosen alike -- to a party on the beach, starting in the afternoon when the sun is consistently warmest and going until- well, until everybody leaves.

The morning of... Kotone can't do it all on her own, though! Maybe the prospect of a party is enough to get you digging around looking for supplies that could be useful on the beach. Games? The shops must have something, surely. Food? The kitchens are, as always, available. Hauling wood for a bonfire? Hey, someone's gotta do it. Maybe you're helping some of the locals go fishing early in the morning for extra food, or harvesting some fresh fruits and veggies from their gardens and farms. Many hands makes light work, or something like that. If nothing else, if you missed the initial annoucement, the bustle should at least clue you in that something's in the works. Don't forget to buy (or make, or "find") a swimsuit! Modernity not required.

If you can dodge a chore, you can dodge a ball, or, with or without your help, there are plenty of things to do on the beach itself. Some of the sports and activities might seem a little anachronistic to the generally old-fashioned vibe in Aldrip -- the volleyball net and ball are local, but the beach ball and water guns are a little too brightly-colored and plastic, the water balloons in their bucket too obviously mass-produced, to be local, but they're there for anyone to play with (or torment others with). The band's set up as well, though with some different music than they'd played for the inn party. Maybe someone can make a request for more appropriate beach music? Or maybe you just want to see if you can launch a water balloon from a trumpet.

Eventually, someone starts a volleyball tournament. Time to let that competitive streak shine! Or at the very least, you've got to try cracking open a watermelon with a bat... but maybe not too close to the people relaxing on lounge chairs under umbrellas.

Y'all gotta eat, right? Whether you helped the locals earlier with catching fish or preparing food, there's an array of grills that have been dragged out to the beach. Hopefully some of the more magically-inclined among you can figure out how to keep the insulated boxes of ice and ice cream cold away from electricity (or maybe you're using the trek back to town for more ice as an excuse to get away from the party), but even if not, there's plenty of fish, vegetables, and meat available for grilling. Maybe you're the chef, maybe you're just here for the food, but there's plenty available no matter what you choose.

The food is hot and the drinks are cold. Unlike the inn, there's plenty of space around to try to avoid mingling with others if you're the quiet type, but watch out! It also means there are fewer places to hide. It's harder to wallflower without any walls.

As the sun starts to set, someone gets the bonfire going. Marshmallows exist, though maybe in a less-manufactured way than you might be used to, and there's plenty of other leftover things to roast if you're the type. It's another beautiful night in Aldrip to watch the stars and take in the fresh air with some friends. In light of everything that's happened, maybe some quiet relaxation is finally in order.

Well, for some of you. For others, night is when the party gets rowdier and it's time for drinking and party games. Just try not to make too much of a mess! Because somebody's going to have to clean it all up tomorrow.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[This is a sign of trust, and she knows it. With other people, she might tease or tug their hand, but not with Goro. She steps in and, with careful fingers, pulls the little scraps of balloon out of his hair with as little fuss as possible.]

You take really good care of your hair. Maybe we should exchange routines! [she offers with a smile as she gets the last few bits out of his hair and then -- grabs his wrist and puts them in his hand. These are yours, buddy.]

[His brows knit into a light frown as she handles his hair. Well, at least she's careful enough not to tug uncomfortably so it's really not too bad.]

Well, yes. It was important for my career to take a good care of my appearance. Your brilliance doesn't mean a thing to media and public if you have a fucked up face. [He sighs, while craning his neck awkwardly until she's done.] I also had many skin and hair companies working as my sponsors at one point, so I got into a habit of using their products.

[He straightens his neck and is about to huff out 'thanks' for her help when he's suddenly just.. left with the rubbery remnants. So, he just stands there awkwardly hand stretched and palm open.] It's too bad this place doesn't exactly prioritize recycling.

Oh... yeah, I guess that's true.

[It kind of reminds her of the stuff President Tanaka would say. Like, sure, it would be nice to think that stuff like appearances don't matter, but considering that it seems to be people like him who run that industry... yeah. It's not surprising at all.

But his reaction is funny enough that she giggles at him, clasping her own hands behind her back in the universal symbol of "no takebacksies."]

I guess they didn't figure they'd need it, considering that the balloons came from who-knows-where instead of something I bought here. All that modern beach stuff just appeared out of nowhere, along with a bunch of things from some of my friends. Like someone was giving me a present.

[Showbiz is pretty cruel, yeah. Akechi knows very well that he would have never made it in that industry if it wasn't for Shido's influence. Something that he will forever be bitter and angry about, and which is exactly why he'd like to cast off the mantle of the Detective Prince. To be rid of at least that part of the man's shadow.

BUT ENOUGH OF TRAUMA DUMPING.

Because what she says is quite interesting.]

So it's just like with the record player and the jacket for me. [He thinks out loud. It makes him think back to the other more modern elements of this town, like the washing machines, and the Those Who Were There.]

Is there any personal connection with you and these gifts or to the beach itself?

[Tanaka had wanted her to be an idol and shill his scam products for him, so... you know. It be like that sometimes.

Anyway, she hums with a bit of interest, nodding at the memory of the record player and walking past him. She's going to plop down at the edge of the ocean and let it wash over her feet.]

Not the beach itself, but the stuff I got given was the stuff I'd taken with me to the beach when me and my team went last summer. [She hesitates a beat, then leans back, planting her hands in the sand and closing her eyes to let the sun warm her body.] There were some other personal things in there, too. Gifts my teammates had given me. One from everybody.

[Except Fuuka and Shinji, but that's because she'd already had their gifts with her when she arrived.]

[Adults be like that. Shady motherfuckers.

Also hey!! It’s rude to walk off like that when someone is talking to you! Anyway, he follows her to the shoreline and stops to stand right behind her, arms crossed.]

Hmm. That would make sense. It almost seems like the rulers of this place are trying to recreate our memories through gifts. But the question ‘why’ remains. I believe it has something to do with our sentencing, although I’m not entirely sure what triggers these acts of generosity. [he scoffs out with a laughter. holding them as prisoners here with a occasional gifts from home hardlu counts as kindness to him.] Especially since it seems that it does not extend to everyone here. So, what makes us stand out?

[She just assumed that he would follow. And she was right! Anyway, the water against her toes feels nice, so she wiggles them a little in the water as she hums in agreement.]

Good behavior?

[Obviously a joke, though her light delivery might make it hard to tell. She leans back on her hands and looks up at him standing behind her.] Maybe we're somebody's favorite.

[He laughs at that joke, shoulders shaking lightly along with it. See, he's pretty relaxed here!!]

Or maybe it's the opposite. We're the hopeless ones so we are being bribed to be better?

[Her eyes crinkle with the brightness of her smile. It's nice to make Goro laugh! She needs to try to do it more often.]

If that's the case, I say we act up until we're appeased with something really cool.

What would you suggest we do, then? Destruction of the public property, obscenery, causing disturbance and general resentment?

[anything but littering, really!]

Hmmm... I've done at least two of those things already.

[Obscenity isn't really her thing, and weirdly enough, nobody seems to resent her for Thanatos' actions.]

What else? I'm no good at thinking of stuff like that. You guys are the ones with "spirits of rebellion" or whatever, right?

[Hehe.]

How scandalous of you. But see? You got a beach bag out of it.

[He chuckles. See? It's just as he told you! Everything ended up just fine after the incident.

Though her little poke makes him sigh a little and roll his shoulders.]

'The spirit of rebellion' for us meant acting against the society and those in power, refusing to submit at the face of the fate.

Hmm...

[Another hum, this one with a smile. It will never not be funny that they all have their own kind of rebel theme. It's interesting! But funny. Like TV show heroes.]

I don't think the locals are the ones in power, though. We gotta attract attention some other way to lure it out into the open. Without terrorizing the locals.

[The truth is Kotone that they're just huge nerds larping the Featherman.]

Maybe. [She's most likely right though. The locals here are real rather than cognitive creations. But at the same time they are the only active factor for them to interact with, currently their only source to mysteries of this world. So they can't be completely ignored either.]

Or maybe they're all part of an act? Who knows, maybe we're stuck in a fucked up reality TV scenario? [The grin on is face should be enough to tell that he's not serious.. Unless.]

[open mingle] let's go to the beach-each, let's go get a wave

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