Monstro Town - Kyrk's Domicile: Den
Despite being windowless and a bit claustrophobic, this living room is
actually very nice. A sofa and loveseat are set angled to each other in one
corner, and lighting similar to the previous hallway's is installed at
varying spots within the ceiling. A small table sits between the two pieces
of furniture, with a pictureframe set upright upon its flat surface. A door
is stationed along the northern wall, and an open entryway leads south into
what appears to be a small kitchenette.

Kyrk stands outside the door to his and Molly's room, arms folded as he looks down at nothing in particular, apparently waiting. Behind him, just a short time ago, Mollianne had disappeared into the bedroom to get dressed, promises of the beach and a day of relaxation apparently pleasing her to no end.

Kyrk himself has little changed; the only major difference appear to be a pair of black shorts instead of his usual dark pants, but the rest of his attire, including the tank top, remains as it always has been.

Tyrranis opens his eyes slowly, clearing the feeling of being asleep from his head. It was hard to tell time, but something seemed different. He stood from his bed, collected the baseball bat that accompanies him everywhere, and moved into the Kyrk's living room.

Kyrk glances over his shoulder briefly, risking opening the door a crack to see what was going on. He looks confused for a moment at whatever it is he sees, before speaking up. "Do you need help? I didn't think putting on a bathing suit was that complicated." There is a troubled whine from the inside of the room, and some comment about how Rae and May can be awful people sometimes.

Kyrk simply rolls his eyes, and looks back at Tyrranis briefly. "I'll be right back, Tyrranis." He slips into the bedroom at that notion, closing the door behind him.

Tyrranis blinks at Kryk as he slips inside his room, and shakes his head. Something seemed off, and he couldn't quite place it. Regardless, the giaganto steps over to the sofa and sits on it, waiting for someone to enter the room.

After a few minutes, the bedroom door opens again, and Kyrk steps out, but by himself; at least, to begin with. He turns in the doorway after realizing someone's not following, and taps his foot. "There's nothing wrong with it. I know you're uncomfortable, but its not the bathing suit. You know what it is."

Behind Kyrk, a small voice speaks out, audible from the door's open proximity. "But.. they did not have anything else in my size.. even if it was not their fault, are you sure this is okay..?" Mollianne peeks her head around the corner of the door.

Tyrranis is still in the living room, and looks up at Kyrk's entrance, and Mollianne's hesitant spying. "Kyrk, is something going on out of the ordinary?"


[-----MEANWHILE...-----]


With a small yawn, Crossroads stepped into the room with the hotsprings to get ready for their trip to the beach. Still groggy from just having woken up, she completely missed who all was sleeping and who wasn't. As much as she was aware, everyone had been awake before her.

Lorastine sat in the hotsprings already wrapped tightly in a warm towel at the edge of the spring. She perked up slightly when she heard the sliding door open and she turned to see Crossroads. "Good Morning!" She said happily as she continued to run her hands through her blonde hair, washing it.

Crossroads smiles lightly at Lorastine, eyes still half closed, bag with her swimsuit clutched in her arms, "I don't consider it morning until the sunrises." Her eyes drift shut for a moment and her head tilts slightly to the side. The room was nice and warm, she could drift back to sleep here if she wasn't already standing, "Not that you can tell in this place. In any case good morning to you too! I see you are taking advantage of the hotsprings again."

Lorastine laughs almost deviously as she was caught abusing her hotspring privilages yet again. She closed her eyes and finished rinsing out her hair before standing up from the water. "I can't help it, its just so relaxing." She replied as she went and grabbed her swimsuit from a bench to wear it. It fit perfectly to her frame which made her happy about her purchase. After wearing it in advance she slipped on some loose clothing to wear in public.

Crossroads opened her bag and peered inside of it, all the butterfly feelings she felt back at the store suddenly flooding back. Still, she had bought it and she had to wear it now. It wasn't as if she had anything else. She pulled the nightgown over her head and pulled the bikini out of the bag. "You're intention was to become a fish, or your intention was to change into your swimsuit?" She grinned.

Crossroads opened her eyes and laughed lightly. "Careful, you might turn into a fish with all the water you have been in lately. But agreed." Infact, the hotsprings was the only thing she liked about this place. It just seemed cramped with its small spaces and lack of windows. Not to mention the trapped feeling with all the security it took to enter. To be honest, she was really looking forward to going home. " I only came in here to change though."

Lorastine laughes and finishes getting dressed her hair was still damp from the water. "That was my original idea as well, but..." she said her voice trailing off as she looked towards the steaming hotspring water. "I got distracted."

Lorastine looked over at Crossroads with complete and utter confusion at her statement. It took a second to click in her mind what she was talking about and Lorastine blushed at feeling so absentminded. "I wanted to get changed into my swimsuit." she said quickly turning away from Crossroads to hide her embarrssement. She finished getting dressed and folded up her damp towel onto a rack to dry. Lorastine stopped at the door to leave the spring and glanced back, "Maybe I'll stick with being a bird."

"I'm just teasing. It isn't as though we have one near home so its probably best to take advantage of it." Crossroads said with a small giggle. She is a bit more slow getting her swimsuit on, though whether it is due to her discomfort with how much it reveals or due to her still feeling tired from dragging herself from bed is anyone's guess. With a final adjustment to the staps, she followed Lorastine to the door yawning once more and blinking away the sleep.


[-----BACK IN THE DEN...-----]


Kyrk turns toward Tyrranis, and nods. "I'm going to assume by your tone of voice that the others didn't tell you. Though, if you were asleep this whole time, I can see how the information must've eluded you." Mollianne hesitantly steps out of the bedroom, closing the door gently behind her.

"We made plans to go spend some time at the beach today. I think the others are likely getting ready, too." Kyrk nods, casting a backwards glance at Mollianne, briefly. She shifts somewhat, rocking from taloned foot to taloned foot.

"No, it seems no one managed to tell me about this trip." Tyrranis now casts a glance over both you and Mollianne. "I have been sleeping to help with the... repairs from yesterday. You seem quite unhappy Mollianne, why?" Tyrranis had an idea it might be due to the clothes she had, but he was never really sure.

Mollianne shakes her head. "Sort of. But not really." She offers a small-fanged smile, though it seems forced. "Clothing has always been a.. weird issue for me. If you take my frame into consideration and then try to match it with my height, you don't get clothes that fit very easily.. they always wind up too big, or too small." She looks at herself, tilting her head slightly.

"But that is something I got used too pretty quick. Back when I lived in the ocean, clothing was not even a consideration, much. But here on land, it seems a typical thing. So I had to adjust. But no, I have been just feeling... out of sorts, the last day or so. It is just a phase, so don't worry." Mollianne nods affirmingly.

Kyrk gestures, without meaning behind it. "Everyone has things to deal with, anymore. Beyond this, did you at least sleep well, Tyrranis?"

Tyrranis shakes his head slowly at Mollianne. "You do not need to tell me about having issues finding clothes. Back before I was given this..." Tyrranis lifts a small section of his towel and then drops it, "The woman who was taking care of me tried hard to find clothes that fit me. It did not work well."

"Yes, I understand. That leather band is a tribal thing... it is what all members of my clan wore. Even if I am no longer with them, it kind of sticks to you, when you wear it for so long." Mollianne smiles faintly at the equal footing the two of them seem to be on, even over something as general as clothing discrepencies.

Kyrk remains silent during this exchange, apparently having nothing to really add to it. He was just a regular human, after all. Everything was likely typical to him.

Tyrranis says ' I do not have a tribe, nor any members of my clan. I have all ideas that I would have inherited something from them, but it is hard to learn from the dead that lie in the past. Even moreso for those who possess poor grasps on memory.'

Lorastine walked out of the hotspring all dressed and ready to go out. She walked out into the main room and waved slightly. "Good morning, are we ready to go?"

Mollianne clasps her hands behind her, wings twitching somewhat at Crossroads' and Lora's emergence. "I.. I see. I am sorry to hear that, then. It is likely that everyone from mine is fine and well, but since I fell into this place.. it is likely I will not see them again. But still, I cannot complain when comparing your story to mine."

Mollianne idly adjusts the straps on her top, vainly seeking to try and make it a little less tightened.

"I would think so. Though, Tyrranis seems to be in the dark on our plans." Kyrk offers a nod to both girls. "It is hard to tell someone what we plan on doing when they are asleep, hm?"

"I told you why I slept so much you, you should know well from... your..." Tyrranis trails off as Crossroads and Lorastine enter, particularly Crossroads however. "Uh, good morning Crossroads." He stares for a few seconds longer before shaking his head. "A-and you too Lorastine."

Crossroads rubbed the last of the sleep from her eyes stepping into the room just a few steps behind Lora. Seeing everyone assembled in the den she smiled in greeting, blushing slightly as she caught Tyrranis's eyes on her. "Oh um... I'm sorry Tyr. I guess I forgot to mention it to you last night." Her blush deepened, and she rubbed the back of her neck nervously, "I hope it isn't a problem."

Lorastine nods to Tyrranis and smiles before looking back at Crossroads and sticks her tongue at her. Judging by the Giganto's reaction, Cross had caught his eyes. Lorastine looked around at everyone, the awkwardness was quite obvious to her with all of the tension. She sighed and looked off into space to pass the time until they were ready to leave.

Mollianne smiles at Lora, stepping out from behind Kyrk and walking over to Lorastine, peering up at her. "What about you, Lora? You got one too, right?" Her erstwhile discomfort seems to disperse somewhat, as she pokes the Hylian in the side to bring her back down to earth.

Kyrk looks off to one side, turning slightly. "We can leave whenever you're ready. It's not a long trek, so we shouldn't have to worry too much about time. Knowing the Twins, they are probably already there, tapping their feet and wondering what is keeping us." Though mentioned as a joke, he doesn't even so much as crack a smirk.

Tyrranis finds himself staring at Crossroads again for a moment, and then shakes his head and stands up. "I guess that I am ready for this trek. Though I still am not sure I have met these twins."

Crossroads smiles at Tyrranis. By his staring, perhaps he could over look that little bit of absent mindedness on her part. After all, there had been other things on her mind back then. "I'm ready." she holds up the bag that used to contain her swimsuit, but now had her regular clothes folded neatly within.

Lorastine blinks when she is poked by Mollianne. She looked down at her and seemed a bit confused on what she meant. She just nodded and smiled, "Yup, I'm ready to go now."

Mollianne frowns somewhat, but acknowledges that perhaps she didn't hear her in her spaciness. Nevertheless, she looks between the others, and hurries off down the hall, stopping to grab a small bag that had been placed at the doorframe nearby as she goes.

Kyrk looks after Mollianne, and nods. "Alright then. Follow us." He, too, heads on down the hallway, toward the elevator.

Tyrranis nods, and steps after Kyrk, being about as ready as he'll get to be on this vacation.



Luon Highway - The Starlight Shoreline
Off the beaten path of the main highway, a rocky path leads down
toward this sandy beach that lines the outlying Notog Ocean, stretching for
a considerable distance toward the south while coming up against an
impressive cliff face, just north. An old-looking pier is visible a short
distance along the coast, and the deep gray sand is accented nicely by the
ephemeral night that encompasses the area. Moonlight shines down serenely
from high above, illuminating the area fully and broadly enough that no
manual light sources are required for full visibility.

Kyrk and Mollianne lead the group down a winding route through northern Luon Highway, branching off at a short distance in to a somewhat secluded trail that leads down the side of the cliff and to an isolated beach along the shoreline. Waiting there, as predicted, are Rae and May Coldwater, who wave energetically to the lot of them upon their arrival.

The Coldwater Twins smile happily at the group. "Hey, you guys took long enough! Have trouble wakin' up this morning?" Rae gives Mollianne a knowing wink, to which she opts not to say anything toward, excepting a small flush of her cheeks. May, on the other hand, gives the siren a thumbs-up, apparently noting the apparel she's wearing. "Not lookin' too shabby there, Molls."

Mollianne scratches the back of her head somewhat, but manages a small smile, anyway. "Thanks, I think."

Tyrranis eyes the two girls who are waving frantically at them. Assuming them to be the supposed twins they were to meet, he gives a solem nod and looks out into the sea while waiting for everyone to settle down.

Crossroads smiles and gives a wave to the twins. Even at this hour (And by Crossroads's standards it was still an ungodly hour of the morning) they both seemed as lively and energetic as yetserday when they were out shopping.

Lorastine however seems just as energetic as the twins are now that she was finally at the beach. Her wave went high over her head and her smile was huge. "Hey! she called out as she saw them before giggling in anticpation of the day. It might have been because of her morning soak she was in such a lively mood.

Kyrk gives the Twins something of a stern look, but they disregard it for whatever reason, and he drops it. Instead, he nods. "I'm not sure how used to the fact that everything around here is always covered in night. But the same is true for the beach, too. But this doesn't dissuade visitors." He pauses, looking southward. "Though, at this hour, it is likely that we have the place all to ourselves. Convenient, I suppose."

The Coldwater Twins only grin at you despite his look, and hover around Mollianne, looking her over front to back, head to toe. "That fits better than I would've thought!" "It seems a li'l snug, but hey, if y'got the goods, y'gotta show 'em off once in awhile, right?" "'Sides, that's what the beach is for!" The two of them giggle like the teenagers they are, for all of their own fruit-themed attire.

Mollianne seems a little taken aback from the attention, but judging from the half-smirk, it was likely expected. She turned a couple of times to try and keep up with them, but to no avail. "Yeah, I was kind of annoyed at first, but it is not your fault, I guess. I do not realy take to clothes too well.. you know how I am." She squeaks somewhat, as the two of them hug her from both sides! "But you know, I don't need as much attention as you two give me, either... so that, in itself, IS your fault."

The Twins look up from their embrace around Mollianne, still grinning. "Lora! You guys don't wanna miss this, 'fore you go back to Guardia!" "Yeah, the beaches 'round here are somethin' else. Even though its dark, its just as warm and great as if it were a regular daytime beach! Plus, you get that, all the time" Rae turns somewhat, gesturing to the moon overhead.

Tyrranis looks between the group chatting amongst themselves, and walks closer out to the water. After a moment, he plants his bat in the sand, and wades into the water.

Crossroads watches with a smile as Tyrranis heads out into the water wasting no time in enjoying himself. She then directs her gaze out at the sandy beach with interest and her smile turns into a grin. "You know, I think I want to walk a little bit along the shore."

Lorastine tilted her head as she looked up at the moon as it shone on the beach. She had completely forgotten about Viorar's region being stuck in an everlasting night. Not exactly the great breach setting she had pictured in her mind. No sun to soak in the warm rays and bask in its warmth. "Not what I imagined, but I suppose its better then nothing" she replied happily.

Kyrk casts a sidelong glance toward Tyrranis as he heads out into the calm waters; there were hardly ever any waves due to the moon constantly being in control of the tide, save during stormy or windy weather. He nods at Crossroads. "It's a safe place. Go ahead and enjoy yourselves, despite what I'm always harping about. Relaxation is indeed necessary sometimes, I suppose." He sounds a little unsure of the idea of contradicting himself, but since his 'spar' with Tyrranis, he seemed to be second-guessing himself frequently.

Mollianne smiles between the group, and holds up her bag. "I brought some food for when we get hungry, too. I am gonna go grab a table toward the other end of the beach. Come on!" She pulls herself free of the Twins, kicking up dark sand from her taloned feet as she hurries on toward the south, glittering dust from her wings flitting away in the breeze created by said wings as she passes by.

The Coldwater Twins look at each other for a moment, then at Tyrranis heading out into the water as Mollianne leaves the two of them, then finally at Cross, tilting each head in opposite directions. "That..." "...guy?"

"But he's so... big!" May suddenly leans up against Rae, whispering something in her ear. Expectedly, this elicits a girlish giggle between the two of them.

Tyrranis dives into the water for a short while before his head pops up a little further in the distance, his head sitting stationary in the water as he sits on the floor of the water. A small shiver runs along the giganto's spine as he acclimates to the water's temperature.

Crossroads heads down the beach, dropping her bag into the dry sand as she goes, eyes seaching for something located down at her feet. She is too far away and concentrating to hard on her task to hear Rae and Mae's comment reguarding Tyrannis.

Lorastine looks over at Kyrk now that everyone else seemed preoccupied with several things. She placed her arms behind her back and walked over towards him. "I never got to say thank you for saving me." she said glancing over at him sideways looking for some sort of reaction not like she'd get one.

Kyrk looks up from his general survey of the area (lifeguard instincts, perhaps; maybe he's had to put it to use, before?), regarding Lorastine evenly. "Saving you? Oh, so you found out, did you? Well, then." He nods at her, attempting to be as sincere as he can without the affluent feeling to go along with it. "Think nothing of it. I feel that you would have done the same for me, and likely attempted to, following Mollianne back to my domain."

You say 'You all are trying your best to live up to the expectations afforded you, whether it is from each other or Kyuubey himself. But sometimes we need a helping hand, once in awhile. I am glad I could be there when needed.'

The Coldwater Twins watch Tyrranis for a short time, apparently attempting to gauge him for... something. But realizing that, unless they decided to go out there after him, they weren't going to get anything more right now, they spontaneously up and take off toward the south, hoisting a small box that looks like it was filled with assorted small... devices? "Yay!" "Fireworks!"

Tyrranis looks behind him after acclimating to the cold of the water, and then shrugs, calling to Kyrk. "I'm going to follow them. The water's a bit cold, but go ahead and come in." With that, he wades south, following the shoreline through the water.

Lorastine watches the others head down the shoreline leaving Kyrk and Lorastine alone together. "I guess thats true... but still. It just means a lot to mean is all." she says as she holds her arm looking up at the moon.

Kyrk looks at her for a moment, then back over the waters, giving a brief glance at the crew now just a short distance south of them. "Lorastine, what did you wish for?" His question seems sudden, but with obvious intent for reason.

Lorastine pauses for a moment considering how to answer. Her wish was a terrible one as she recalled how foolish it was. "I wished for the power to protect everyone." she replied.

You say 'It didn't turn out quite the way you expected, did it? Nobody's ever does. It sounds great at the beginning, but then you begin to realize just how deep you get into what you wish for... and what its limits are.'

You say 'But... we still fight for something. All of us. And regardless of what the wish is, your ability to make a difference in the lives of others is plenty well enough, I would like to think. So in a sense, you can't call your actual wish good or bad. Just what you do with it. As long as you're trying, that's all we ask of each other.'

"Because as soon as you stop trying..." Kyrk looks at Lorastine silently for a moment. "You die. And nobody wants that."

Lorastine took into consideration everything Kyrk is telling her and nods silently. Even the when he told her that nobody wants to die, she took it as a form of a compliment. Her cheeks turned a slight pink which was hidden by the darkness of the beach.

Kyrk turns back toward the water. "Think more highly of yourself, if you don't already do so. Your friends depend on you, and you'd be surprised how many others do, too. Despite how I may come off, and what I'm not capable of, you are more than welcome to ask me for help on anything you have problems with, Lora. Don't forget it, especially when it could mean the difference between living or dying. As you've seen once, already."


[-----FURTHER DOWN THE BEACH...-----]


Luon Highway - The Starlight Shoreline
Placid waves gently caress the rickety wooden beams of an old pier,
still standing despite its obvious lack of use. The beach extends north and
south from here, lining both the tall cliff road of Luon Highway itself to
the south, and the expansive ocean against the north. A wet mass of sand
between the water and drier beach sands is clumped awkwardly here, denoting
the presence of other beachgoers in previous visits.

The Coldwater Twins seem to be busy setting something up on the end of the pier, grinning broadly as they do. Their box is set off to one side, and they are occasionally vocalizing instructions back and forth to one another as they work on... whatever it is they're doing.

Crossroads is in the middle of a project of her own, kneeling down to pick to pick up shells she is finding scattered along the sandy shore. She occationally holds one up for closer examination, then either tosses it asside of places it in a small pile in one of her hands.

Rae picks up a piece of something attached to a long handle, looking at it for a moment with a blank expression, then down at the box. "Hey, uh... I don't want this to go off in my hand when I light it. Maybe we need something a li'l longer." May checks to see what her sister is referring to, and dismisses it. "Nah, it'll be fine. Just don't point it at the others, and we'll be fine."

Rae mutters something, but lowers the device and continues working on something else, offering a sidewinded comment about how she doesn't want the Hulk chasing her down because she blew up a bottle rocket in his face.

Tyrranis watches Crossroads silently from the water for a little while, before turning his attention to the twins and their work. Really, it seemed like something that was above his head, but if they could make whatever they were doing work, more power to them.

Crossroads stands up with a pile of small shells in her hand and scans the beach once more, eyes soon falling upon Tyrranis. She smiles at him and starts walking towards him, pausing just long enough to pick up another shell that caught her eye before reaching him "How is the water?"

May claps her hands together, once. "Okay! Try that one, then!" Rae nods, standing up as she holds another long-stemmed device, and proceeds to produce a pair of kunai from apparently nowhere (?), and making a quick shear together across a fuse that dangles from it. The effect works well enough, igniting it from a spark formed between the edges!

Rae quickly tosses the device out over the water, and for obvious reasons, the sizzling pyrotechnic hits the water with a small splash, putting out the fuse and sinking below the surface. The two of them just kind of stare at where it was for a moment, before they look at each other. May sighs. "You're a tool sometimes, y'know that?" Rae scoffs, holding up her hand. "No, we just need somewhere to put them!"

Tyrranis watches the Twins little experiment with a mixture of amusement and interest, and then turns his attention back to Crossroads. "The water is only a bit cold, but it is nice. Would you like to join me?"

Crossroads looks down at the seashell in her hands and nods, figuring she has picked up enough. "Sure, I'll go a little ways into the water" she looks up at the twins on the peir for a moment, wondering if it was really a good idea to let the two of them play with such things. Anything involving fire in their hands could potentially lead to disaster. Then again, no one seemed to be stopping them, "You two be careful with those, Alright?"

The Coldwater Twins wave dismissively behind them at Crossroads, apparently too caught up in their potential acts of firepower to worry about silly things like 'Safety'. They go on muttering to each other after they talk, occasionally making references to obscure things that are likely inside jokes. Living alone together in a treehouse likely produces some odd conversations between them, anyway.

Tyrranis gives Crossroads a smile, and wades a bit closer to the shore, and, after studying Crossroads for a moment, he kneels down in the water to pat around it, looking for any interesting things on the ground to show to her.

Crossroads quickly ran back to her bag and deposited her small handful of seashells she had gathered within. Then she turned and ran out to meet Tyr, water splashing at her ankles. It didn't seem as though the water was too deep where he was.

The Coldwater Twins toss a couple of pyrotechnic parts off to one side, noting their previous failure to launch and deciding what they need is... a longer fuse! "We should've had these things pre-assembled before we came out here. Would'a saved us some time for the show..." May Ann grumbles as she fiddles with a few stemlike pieces. "Yeah, but we woke up late as it was. Mollster doesn't like t'be kept waiting." Rae Beth grins glancing southward down the beach.

Tyrranis collects a few buried objects without really bothering to look at them to see what they are, and looks up to see Crossroads coming into the water to meet him. He partially rises, thinks better of the whole thing, and then settles back down into the kneel, settling for a simple wave.

By the time Crossroads reaches Tyrranis, the water is up her waist. Seeing him kneeling, she wondered briefly if he had the same idea as she did, "Collecting seashells too Tyr?" She asked peering down at his hands to see what he managed to find, head tilting slightly.

Tyrranis pulls up the objects he had collected, a sand dollar and what looks to be a small rock, with a nod. "I am attempting something like that, yes. A bit hard to see in the water however, but that is not a terrible thing, considering."

"Where did she go, anyway..?" Rae Beth scans the southern stretch of beach, squinting slightly. She actually gets to her feet, in order to try and see better. May seems less concerned with this, waving it off as she attempts to put together something more plausible than their last attempt. "I wouldn't worry about it. Y'know how she is with water, 'specially beaches and harbors. She has some history or somethin'."
Crossroads nods, "Yeah, I imagine with the place being dark all the time it is pretty hard to..." Her eyes widen as what he said slowly starts to sink in her and her eyes drift downward to the water, realizing that he didn't have his towel. Her cheeks flush and she quickly looks back up at him.

"Yeah, but you know how she's been the last day or so. I think we need'ta make sure she's okay. She gets sad a lot when she's by herself." Rae takes it upon herself, already standing, to give a considerable leap off the end of the dock, splashing into the waters below and out of sight!

May Ann looks flustered by this, looking between her sister's departure and the firework mess in her hands, then fumes and gets to her feet, dropping what she's doing. "Damn, Rae! Stop worryin' so much! I mean, geez!" She doesn't hesitate to get a running start, taking off after Rae and also diving off the edge of the dock with an equally-obnoxious splash!

Tyrranis raises an eyebrow, and scratches the back of his head. "Well, I figured it was dark and most people seemed to be avoiding the water, so..." He trails off as the twins go splashing into the water and sighs. "Or, they had been."

Crossroads' attention is diverted away from Tyrranis with the two loud splashes as the twins jump into the water. "I don't think they are coming over here though." She said, before turning her attention back to him, lightly rubbing the back of her neck, "I can look if you want..." Her blush deepens and she quickly adds "for sea shells."

Tyrranis coughs a bit, and then sighs. "Perhaps I should have kept my towel on. Reguardless, I would like to find seashells with you, yes. How do we do it?"

The Coldwater Twins resurface a considerable distance south, swimming along with long and powerful strokes. They seem to be in pretty good shape, which is kind of deceiving given their lean frames and general teenage stature.

"Well, if you did you would have had a wet towel. I don't think that would be very comfortable for for when you get out of the water"[x Crossroads looks town into the water, "Its easier on the beach since you can spot them easier, but out here in the water its kind of dark so I guess your best chance is to feel around for them."

Tyrranis nods to Crossroads. "In that case I will continue doing what I am. When I find enough of anything impressive, I shall let you know. Though, are you looking for anything in particular?" He chucks the rock over his shoulder, and examines the sand dollar to see if it's special in any way.

Crossroads quickly diverts her gaze, looking out into the water seeming a little uncomfortable. "Um... N-not really. No. I just sort of thought that it would be fun." Her eyes fall back to him and she can't help but smile as he examines that sand dollar, "And it looks like you've already had a pretty good find."

Tyrranis smiles at Crossroads she she praises his find, and palms the sand dollar. "Luck lies with the beginner, I suppose." He begins feeling around in the sand underwater again, searching blindly and scooting around to preserve his modesty.

Crossroads decides to try looking in the water herself, hands reachinging down to the sandy floor hoping that she'll be as lucky as Tyr was. Instead though all her hands seem to fall upon is rocks.

Tyrranis is not having a hell of a lot of success either anymore. Often times he'll search all around himself before scooting off to a different area, and others he'll pull a lone object out, only to dismiss it buy throwing it far into the sea. After a little he calls to Crossroads. "This. Is difficult."

Crossroads had worked her way back to shallower waters by the time Tyr called out to her. "Guess you were really, really lucky then." She then gasps and fumbles around in the water for a moment, "Oh! Here!" She pulls a tiny shell from the water and holds it up in the air triumphantly "I found on too--EEP!" The shell is immediately dropped back into the water with a plop as something touched her skin and she realized something was currently inhabiting it.

Tyrranis turns as he hears Crossroads' excitement and is worried for a moment after she exclaims and drops the shell. Though, after that moment, he realizes what happened and begins snickering at the situation.

Crossroads quickly moves away from the area where the shell was dropped and momentarily begining her seach again before sighing and giving up her search. At least she had found a number of them on the shore already. She makes her way back towards Tyrranis, "I think I'm done for now. Don't want to risk finding another one of those."

Tyrranis nods to Crossroads, and holds out the sand dollar her found. "Do you want this one? I do not have a place to carry it, and you inspired me to hunt, so it makes sense for you to have it."

"Thank you Tyr." Crossroads says softly, taking the sand dollar that he offered to her with a smile. She then looks down at it, turning it over in her palm. "Sand dollars have a really pretty pattern on them. This one in particular is really special though." Her smile turns to a grin as she turns to face Tyrranis, "Do you know why?"

Tyrranis raises an eyebrow, and then puzzles the question over for a while, trying to figure out what could be special about the sand dollar. Eventually, he shrugs. "I am not sure. Why?"

Crossroads' grin widens as she holds the sand dollar close to her, "Because you gave it to me." She says simply before leaning in to give him a quick kiss on the lips.

Tyrranis smiles widely at Crossroads after the kiss, before looking around. "So, should we go find the others, see what they are up to?"

"Hm... I suppose we should." Crossroads looks out towards the beach, saying nothing for a long moment before a look of concern crosses her face. A thought occuring to her. "We are heading home soon right? I mean its been fun but I don't really like the idea of leaving Truce vulnerable like this. That and I am sure my boss isn't going to be too happy that I missed a couple days of work."

Tyrranis' face falls from a smile to serious as he considers Truce. "Yes. We shall return soon. As much as this is fun, we all have a job back home, and it needs to be done. Still though, have fun while you can Crossroads. We might be thrown into battle when we get back."

Crossroads frowns herself at the reminder of what they would be facing down the road. Though she had been the one to bring it up in the first place. "Yeah." She said quietly and holds out her hand to Tyrranis, "Lets get your towel and find the others."

Tyrranis takes Crossroads hand, and gives her a small smile before nodding to the north. "It is this way, on the sands next to my towel." He begins scooting in that direction.


[-----BACK TO THE NORTH...-----]

Luon Highway - The Starlight Shoreline
Off the beaten path of the main highway, a rocky path leads down
toward this sandy beach that lines the outlying Notog Ocean, stretching for
a considerable distance toward the south while coming up against an
impressive cliff face, just north. An old-looking pier is visible a short
distance along the coast, and the deep gray sand is accented nicely by the
ephemeral night that encompasses the area. Moonlight shines down serenely
from high above, illuminating the area fully and broadly enough that no
manual light sources are required for full visibility.

Lorastine listened to Kyrk closely as she turned to look out towards the sea. His emotionless tone oddly enough made the setting seem kind of cute in her mind. She looked over at Kyrk and smiled, but then remembered the relationship between him and Mollianna. It made her frown slightly but she hid it from him by turning away to look down the shoreline.

"You spend your life, now, protecting people. Decided by your wish. What did you do before Kyuubey found you, Lorastine?" Kyrk doesn't turn to look at her, apparently fixated on some spot far out to sea.

Lorastine perked up slightly when he asked what she did before becoming wishborn. "Um... I actually had just woke up in the Cleft before I made my wish. I was completely naive and foolish."

Kyrk turns somewhat, glancing over his should. "Naive and foolish? These are descriptions I hear far too often. I wouldn't use them to describe yourself, lest you describe us all, especially in the positions we not hold. But that aside, what did you do beforehand? Or have you no memory?"

Lorastine looked over confused, wondering if he was interested in her previous life before the Cleft. "Well I lived in a small cottage in the fields by Hyrule Castle. I lived with my mother, my father was a castle guard before he was killed protecting the place from Ganon." She said, her voice dropping at the mention of her father.

Kyrk seems to be letting the gears turn in his head for a minute, sorting out what he recognizes and doesn't, before speaking. "I've heard mention of this. Apparently aspects from this 'Hyrule' have made it into this world we know, here. At the very least, those names have been spoken to me before."

"Your father was a guard, you said... he fell doing what he was expected to do. There is no more noble death than this; you should be proud that you have come from a man such as him." Kyrk attempts to offer a smile, but the emptiness of it possibly comes off as creepy.

Lorastine looks over at Kyrks, odd smile not put off by it, but his attempt made her happy that he was trying. "Yeah, he was the main motivation for my wish. I wanted to be just like him and protect people. I also heard bits of Hyrule had been spotted in the Cleft as well, I hope I can see it again one day." she said, shifting slightly close towards Kyrk.

Kyrk turns back around somewhat, more or less looking down the shoreline. "A location in northwestern Guardia bears designs of Hylian descent, from what I recall. A temple of some kind. So I believe you may be correct. But as far as returning to the place you came from... I have yet to hear of such a thing. Such as it is, we try to make the best out of what we can, with what we are given."

You say 'Such a mantra could be considered the motto for us and ours. We all have a role to play, regardless of what we're doing either here or there. Just as long as you don't give up trying, you'll succeed eventually. Keep this in mind whenever you feel like you are on the losing end of things, Lorastine.'

Lorastine nods agreeing with what he was telling her. "I will Kyrk." she replied giving him a slight nod, hesitating getting closer to him. She blushed a little, letting her small crush start to get the better of her. "Maybe we should get back to the rest of the group."

Kyrk glances northward toward where Crossroads and Tyrranis are, raising an eyebrow as two teenage girls come swimming past them, giving only a brief wave each as they stroke and glide their way through the water, toward the south where Mollianne appears to be standing ankle-deep in the water. His expression is... difficult to determine. "Perhaps. But I don't see the harm in letting everyone have their fun. Especially considering everyone has split up, anyway."

"You may leave if you like, however. I think I will remain here for awhile, so that I may keep tabs on everything, in case my assistance is needed in other ways." Kyrk pauses for a moment, then adds. "Know that I appreciate your trust, as well. It is a difficult thing to give, sometimes, as I'm sure at least one of your friends knows."

Lorastine blushes at Kyrk's compliment involving trust. It made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside that she wanted to hug him, but she contained that urge quickly. Instead she just took another side step closer towards him until he was shoulder to shoulder with her. "I think I'll stick with you for a bit. I don't really mind."

"Then you may, as I have no qualms with this, either." Kyrk looks back out over the water, his dark shorts fluttering somewhat in the shoreline's continual breeziness. For all of his normally-dark demeanor and figure, at this time he merely looks like another beach-goer. "None of this reminds me of home. Where I came from was starkly differently."

You say 'Everyone was the same, back then. Nobody had pointed ears. Nobody could fly, without mechanical intervention. I remember thinking of this place as a fantasy world that shouldn't have existed, all those years ago. But in the end, here I am, much like everyone else. I've taken to the obvious realization that it has to exist, by now.'

Kyrk's attempt at humor seems dry at best. There, but still a bit off.

Lorastine giggles at his comment about the people in his world being completely different then the denizens of this world. "You mean you think that I shouldn't have existed in your world? My ears are to die for." she said holding the tips of her pointed ears as if showing off. However she knew where he was coming from coming from a world of all people like her.

Kyrk offers a smirk. "Yes, well. People who possess ears like that were works of fiction, in my home world. Cartoons, video games. Drawings. They existed only in the imagination. You could say that, in the large design of things, humans got the short end of the stick." He looks at Lora holding her ears for a moment, as if getting an actual look at them for the first time.

Gasping when he said that Lorastine's kind was nothing but fairy tales and fiction. She decided to take it in a different direction and with a smile on her face. "Well if you had hylians in your fiction, then it means your world must have known we existed, but your people didn't realize it. All those 'fictions' could have been 'non-fiction'" she replied looking over at him with a devious grin on her lips at her game.

Kyrk considers for a moment, still assessing her ears, apparently. "Perhaps. Though we knew you by a different name; 'Elves'. Lean, slender creatures with trademark ears, like your own. They were known for their intelligence and cunning. Or at least this is how most "fictitious" accounts of them go." His expression is even, neutral. "Maybe it wasn't so much that we had side-knowledge that you existed. Instead, maybe it was that we were inclined to hope that you existed."

You say 'Humans have spent thousands of years under the inclination, in my world at least, that we were the only people like ourselves in the universe. It is kind of a sobering though with the realization here that this is not the case, knowing that nobody back home will ever know.'

Lorastine feels her cheeks turn pink again when she learned that Kyrk's world had a desire for her kind to exist. She leaned up against him shoulder to shoulder and smiled as she looked out to the sea. "Well that description isn't that far off I would say. In my world, we weren't the only intelligent beings so I guess I wouldn't know the feeling of being alone in the universe." she said remembering all of the different kinds of people she had known in her childhood.

Lorastine says ' Atleast we aren't alone now, this world is nice in that way.'

Kyrk looks quiet from that point, somewhat complacent in whatever thoughts are going on in his head. The rose color of his irises flicker briefly. Noticeably, though, he isn't making a point to move away from Lorastine, regardless of the closeness factor. One could assume he was intent with the calmness of the immediate moment, but it was hard to tell, since his expression rarely gives anything away. Such are the lack of emotions, perhaps.

Lorastine closes her eyes slightly as she looked at the reflection of the ever-lasting moon on the ocean's surface. A smile sat on her lips as she was pleased to feel that he didn't try to move away from her shy advance. The blonde hylian relaxed a little bit and let out a slight sigh, this was a romantic moment for her even though Kyrk was much like an emotionless statue.

Kyrk is silent for a short time longer, scanning the water's surface in that time. "I worry for Mollianne, from time to time. Not in the absolute sense, but I do wish she had a more... permanent placement, somewhere. She needs someone who can better take care of her, and give her what she needs. I am only able to provide the barest necessities, in this extent, and even then, I know little about her."

You say 'She reminds me of my sister, from time to time. Not in how she acts, but the relationship we share. Before the Witch forced my sister to murder my family, and then she took her own life. She was a much happier person. Seeing this on Molly's face brings back memories that still hurt, even as I am now.'

Lorastine falls silent as she listens to his story about his family and considering Molly like a sister to him. "I'm so sorry that happened to you." she said looking over at him with a sympathetic look. "You're a stronger person then I, I don't think I would have been able to recover from something like that." She looked over at Mollianne trying to imagine what she could of Kyrks sister, a young female smiling Kyrk was all she could manage. Lorastine snaked her arm around his as a form of comfort since a full out hug would be a bit awkward.

Kyrk offers a flicker of something on his face that likely looked like sadness, but only for a moment; however, in a strange contrast of what was likely expected of him, her reached over and draw an arm around Lorastine's shoulders, hugging her somewhat against him. His expression despite this remained open and distant, and he didn't look away from where he'd been this whole time.

You say 'Thank you. It took awhile to get over, but it was either continue on in their memory and someday receive my revenge, or lay down and die. And I've told you enough about the latter, I think.'

Not expecting the embrace, Lorastine blushes and closes her eyes with a smile at the embrace. She is lost for words, but instead rests her head against him.

Tyrranis has arrive from the south.
Crossroads has arrived from the south.

Kyrk is merely standing there along the shoreline, one arm drawn around Lorastine's shoulder as he hugs her in a gentle, one-armed embrace. His attention is focused out toward the waters in front of them, so much so that he doesn't even notice anything else, whether behind or otherwise.

You say 'My family was rather important to me. But you can't hold on to everything forever. I had to learn that the hard way.'

Tyrranis comes in from the south, kneeling a decent way into the water and scooting forward in a slightly awkward fashion, trying to keep steady, and keep pace with Crossroads, who he appears to be holding hands with.

Crossroads gives Tyrranis's hand a quick squeeze before letting go and making her way back to the beach to collect Tyrranis's towel. She looks up breifly at Kyrk and Lora in mid-embrace with mild confusion before giving them a small wave and heading back.

Lorastine snaps back down from her little fantasy moment and when cross comes by and waves to her and Kyrk. Her cheeks become red with a slight embarrassment, but still waves back slightly with an embarrassed smile.

Kyrk looks up from his own attention deficit, glancing at the scooting Tyrranis and the wading Crossroads, then where the latter seems to be going, and makes a pretty quick connection. He instead opts to say nothing to further the likely-awkwardness of the situation, on either his and Lorastine's OR their part, and merely nods instead. It's worth noting that he makes no attempt to remove his arm from around Lora's shoulders.

Kyrk's expression, despite all this, is as straight-laced as ever it is, however, not belying anything he may be otherwise thinking.

The apparent situation between Lorastine and you is not lost on Tyrranis either, but he simply collects his towel from Crossroads, turns around, and stands to redress himself. Afterwards, he nods to Crossroads and speaks in low tones to her. "Should we leave these two alone?"

Crossroads hands Tyrranis his towel, wondering if she should turn away due to his prior embarrassment or not. Then again, there was the awkward situation they had just came in on in the other direction. Clearly eyeing Tyrranis' backside while he slipped the towel on was the better choice. She quickly looks away though the moment he turned back around feeling slightly embarrassed at her actions.

Lorastine glanced over at Crossroads avoiding looking over at Tyrranis. She didn't mind Kyrk's arm still around her shoulder despite the blush on her cheeks. Tyrranis' comment didn't help get rid of the reddness in her cheeks.

Crossroads takes a moment to think about the question, then turns slightly towards Lora and Kyrk, giggling with a wicked grin, "Might be a good idea. If her cheeks get any redder poor Lora's face might end up turning purple." She winks at the two of them then starts off down the beach to collect her bag.

Kyrk doesn't seem to note the rationale needed for embarassment in the current situation, but then again, why would he? Despite his inherent state of being, the look on his face seems a little less sharp than usual. He seems to be specifically avoiding looking at anyone in particular, possibly for his own reasons, or to spare Lorastine anything further.

Tyrranis comes up from the water, now that he's actually clothed, and, after snagging his bat on his way by, stands close by to Crossroads as she collects her bags.

Crossroads carefully slides the sand dollar Tyrranis gave her into her bag for safe keeping, "Lets see what Mollianne and the Twins are up to."

Tyrranis nods to Crossroads, and hesitates for a moment before holding out his hand in the same fashion that Crossroads had before. He obviously has no idea how to go about all this.

Lorastine watches the other two walk away from them to see the rest of the group. The Hylian finally felt like she could relax once more the tension in her shoulders fading away. "Do you see anything interesting out there? You've been staring out there for quite a bit."

Crossroads had been wondering herself if she should offer her hand to Tyrranis again, so and she was quite pleased when he offered it to her before she could reach a conclusion. She slipped her hand into his and begins down the beach.

Kyrk shakes his head subtly, a bare trace of such. "Not physically. But you know, between my family's passing and the eight years that followed up to now, I've seen a lot of things. The memories, unlike certain other things, will never go away. But I have to live with it, just as everyone does. Lots of people are hesitant to trust me, for some of those reasons alone. As I'm sure you know, my methods are a bit rash, at times."

You say 'One could say that I don't know any better, by now. My desire to seek vengeance for my family's murder is a strong one, perhaps the only thing I truly feel, anymore. The memories of everything that's happened play in my thoughts constantly, never allowing me to forget what's happened, so that I might prevent potential mistakes on the way to my goal.'

Lorastine looks up at Kyrk, her pointed ear brushing against him. "Maybe having those thoughts 24/7 isn't a good idea because you may end up hurting yourself or someone close to you." she told him as she looked out to the sea now that Crossroads and Tyrranis were gone.

Kyrk inclines his head somewhat, glancing sidelong at Lorastine. "I bring it upon myself, but again, it has been this way for too long. A bad habit, if you will. But considering the fact that it HAS been eight years, and I'm in no way close to corrupting, I must be doing something right. While they hinder my social graces, my wish also has some benefits to go with it."

You say 'I never have to worry about falling into despair, for one. I don't worry too much about anything. And I'm generally not angry about anything. So sometimes you have to look at the silver linings around all the clouds in the sky.'

Kyrk reaches up somewhat, apparently in mild curiosity, and touches Lorastine's ear.

Lorastine blinks when she feels him touch her ear. She practically froze with surprise, but let him feel her pointed ear with a smile on her face. Her ears weren't exactly sensitive, but they weren't used to being touched by another person. It was a strange, but slightly good feeling.

Kyrk notes the tension being given off from this action, and lowers his hand. "They aren't any different than mine, it seems. I'm sorry if I startled you; something like that, I probably should have asked, first." Kyrk looks a little.. sheepish? Nah, couldn't be.

[----TO THE SOUTH...----]

Luon Highway - The Starlight Shoreline
A wide area opens itself out at this end of the beach, partially
nestled within a cove-like depression against the southern rockface. This
location seems to be the main focus of attention during beach visits, as it
includes everything from a pre-set sports net, to several wooden stalls
built into the rock itself, serving as changing stations for those who
didn't feel like suiting up from home. A lot of the sand at the water's
edge is disturbed and dug up, giving the impression that children tend to
frequent the area. Set a couple feet apart from each other, a trio of
picnic tables are dug into the sand and set in place, completing the setup
for picnickers and swimmers alike. Despite the lack of sun, the weather is
warm and inviting, moon and stars overhead casting down a lighted brilliance
like no other.

At this end of the beach, Mollianne and the Twins are seen hunched over, sitting behind a series of sparkling lights held out in front of them; the three girls seem to have come upon a package of sparklers, and despite the low-danger factor (in regards to the Twins), all three appear to be enjoying themselves in a quiet fashion, watching the sparks jump and glow over the water's edge.

Mollianne in particular seems relatively pleasant, though the redness in her cheeks may denote otherwise, in other places. She's doing a fine job of ignoring it, regardless, making small waves and circles in the air with her sparkling stick.

Crossroads waves at the group as both of them approach, glad to have escaped the awkward situation they and stumbled upon. "Finally got something to work you two?" She asked, remembering their attempts on the pier. The sparklers were smaller, but they were still fairly pretty.

Tyrranis follows behind Crossroads, watching the three play like children, and smiles. It had been a while since he had saw something similar. "They are having fun, that is all that matters I suppose."

Mollianne looks up, and her smile only grows. "Hey, there you are! And yeah, sometimes you just have to start with something smaller, first." She glances at the Twins, who only give smug grins in response. Mollianne gets to her feet, still waving her sparkler around somewhat. "Kyrk and Lora are still down there, I noticed. This really is a beautiful place; you can get lost in the waters pretty easily."

Mollianne seems disregarding of certain 'other' things she may have noted, if she knows they are still elsewhere. Either she's unaware, or she is aware and it isn't bothering her. She SEEMS happy, at least.

The Coldwater Twins glance back toward the pier. "Yeah, yeah. It was either this, or we spend the whole trip risking blowing ourselves up." Rae Beth nods. "Or other people!"

Crossroads smiles, setting her bag down again. She wondered if it would be a good idea to ask how Mollianne was doing since there still seemed to be red in her cheeks, but she decided that it was probably best to hold off on asking about such personal things with Tyr around. "Yeah, we um... We passed them Lora and Kyrk on the way over here." She said to Mollianne. Then she turned to the twins, "Is there any more of those?"


* * * * * * * * * * * * *


The remainder of the trip passed uneventfully. With their time spent away from Truce weighing on their minds, the trio eventually bid their adieus and set forth on their trip back home, ready to return to their duties after a few days of rest and relative relaxation...