Dreadlords The Beach Episode

[Edric]

Cen'ahir

Edric stood quietly in a line of other Initiates, his lips thin, and his head half cocked as he watched the Guardswoman hand a purse of coins over to one of his fellows.

"Now."​

There was something far too chipper about the woman. Edric wasn't sure how to...nail it down, but from the first moment he'd met Colonel Vren something had just seemed...off about her. It was as if clouds didn't exist and sunlight radiated on her in a constant shine. Nothing that had happened on this mission caused a stop in her step.

Even the attitudes of some of his fellow Initiates had seemed to completely wash over the woman. As though they were simply silly children who hadn't quite yet been taught how to behave.

"I want all of you to go out and enjoy yourselves."​

A frown pulled at Edric's lips as the Colonel stepped up towards him, reaching down and grabbing his hand before plopping down another purse of coins.

"You all did very well, and Cen'ahir is a beautiful place! There's restaurants, spa's, even a beach! The water is warm!"​

She smiled at Edric.

"You can even have a drink, but just make sure it's not too much!"​

Edric frowned as the woman winked at him, not entirely...understanding what was going on. They had been taken on this mission as an escort, ensuring that a shipment of goods would be safely delivered to the island city of Cen'ahir. A task they'd completed just this morning. He'd assumed that was it, but now...this was happening?

"Ma'am. I'm not sur-" Before he could finish the Colonel cut him off.

"You're kids." She said pointedly. "You need to have some fun. Your life can't all be missions, mayhem, and murder. That's not right. So i'm giving you this coin, and twenty four hours, and you're going to enjoy yourselves. That's an order."​

Edric stood stunned, not even knowing what to say.

 

[Eleanor]

Eleanor stood near Edric with a similar what the fuck look on her face. Yes, they were kids - technically - but their lives had always literally been missions, mayhem, and murder. Did she understand that she was about to let a bunch of living weapons loose on this poor unsuspecting city? Ella looked at Edric and raised a brow then shrugged.

"Thank you, ma'am," Ella finally said even though she was still perplexed by all of this. She looked down at the bag of coins that the Colonel had pressed into her hand and pursed her lips. This was so strange but she supposed they could use some fun.

"Um...what do we want to do first?" She asked Edric and the other initiates.

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

Unlike many of the others, Drasts ability manifested later, so he knew his parents, he actually had a personality, and his whole life had not been missions. He stood there and he was not confused. He liked Vren, he'd have to holler at her later.

"Uhh ma'am. It ain't murder if they come back. We got some great healers amongst us." He said with a grin before taking his sack of (possibly well-earned coin). He did not need to hear her order twice to comply. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to grab a drink on the beach then hit the water." He would wink at Ella before he turned to head down the path to the beach. Today was going to be legendary.

Edric Eleanor

 

[Sable Pembroke]

As far as weird, new occurrences went in a post-revolution world, this was not that strange. Sable graciously accepted the little coin purse, his giant mitts of hands making it look like a prop for a doll. The dance had been far more nerve wracking than this impromptu little diversion. Sable just hoped this outing wouldn't end quite so...disastrously as that one did.

The titan of an initiate eyed his fellows, namely Ella.
"If we're going to be hitting the beach we should probably...buy swimwear, I suppose? I don't know about you, but I didn't pack any for this 'mission.'"
He rumbled with a half smile. That meant shopping. Dreadlords...shopping...for swimwear. Yeah, alright, this was weird.

 

[Oraya Urahil]

Perseus, 'Perci,' looked absolutely mortified as her hips sashayed herself forward. Her body nothing but curves and monster-killing muscle mass. A frame never able to blend into a crowd due to its shape and height.

The...beach.

Perci clutched the money purse more tightly. Why couldn't they have a day of fun facing the demigorgons? Or flying the gryphs? She'd take anything but swimwear. Mother of iron, she'd happily place herself between Kalix and Lysander for another group therapy session.

Known as perhaps, one of the most patient dreadkids in the class, she found her dregs of patience wearing thin as the swimwear and beach talk continued. She took a step back from the group then another. As subtle as Perci could be and carefully pocketed the coins she'd been given.

 

[Kalix]

Kalix, unlike everyone else, didn’t need to be told twice to go out and have some fun. He knew that once you were given the opportunity you took it right away. So when he got that coin pouch, which was a great addition to his day of fun, he turned around and looked straight at Perci with a big cheeky grin. She should’ve expected it, really. They were on a mission after all and it wasn’t like they got to hang out as much anymore with graduation getting closer and closer.

Kalix may have been a shit student but even he had started to get his act together a little bit.

“Hey, hey, hey PERCI!” He shouted despite her being only a foot or so away from him. He clapped a large hand on her shoulder, already starting to pull her away from the others. He wasn’t going to give them any ideas on how to have fun, especially since he didn’t want any sort of competition! “I’ll go with you to get some more comfortable clothes,” despite being an idiot, even Kalix had picked up after years of knowing Perci that topics about her body were a no-go. “And then!” His grin somehow got bigger, his feline-gold eyes glimmering with excitement as he pointed to an area on the beach.

“Then we’re gonna kick some fucking ass in beach volleyball!”

Perseus

 

[HRavielle]

Ryan had been focusing on her classwork lately and this was her first mission in a while. It seemed she picked a good one as a bag of gold was dropped into her hand. She smiled broadly and thanked the colonel.

She had to admit that sitting in the white sands of the beach sounded amazing and she could get behind a game of volleyball as well. She needed a swimsuit though. That was a requirement in this case.

"I will go with you all to shop. Perci and I can make sure we get something cute," she said with a smile towards her fellow Initiates.

Never trust men to give their opinion on swimwear. They had issues paying attention to anything by boobs and asses the majority of the time.

 

[Chasmine]

Chasmine stood toward the back of the group, behind Kalix, patiently and quietly waiting. This had been an exceptionally rare opportunity for her to leave the Academy grounds - she NEVER got picked for missions. Whatever had changed the minds of the Proctors she decided not to give it too much thought.

Happy simply to be along for the ride, even if she had proven to be more of a filler than of any use for the actual mission, the girl blinked in pleasant surprise as they were released into the city to enjoy the rest of their stay.

"How lovely," she remarked, turning a wistful and curious smile up at the much taller Kalix, "what's voll-ball?"

 

[Liza Newcastle]

Liza was extremely confused as Colonel Vren handed her a small bag of coins. Glancing up and down the line of initiates, she saw similarly shocked expressions. But hey, if Vren wanted them to have fun, Liza would be the last to complain.

She stared down at the pouch in her hand pondering what she would buy first. Snacks of course, were at the top of the list. Along with the strongest drink she could find. Her thoughts were then diverted by talk of swimsuits. Why did they need swimsuits? Couldn't they just swim in their underwear? It wasn't like this was going to become a regular occurance. They were soldiers after all. Besides, Liza knew nothing about buying clothes, let alone swimsuits!

She crammed the money into her pocket and quickly trotted after the rest of the group. Hopefully one of the more fashion savvy girls would assist her. Heaven knew she needed it.

 

[Samantha Black]

"Um...what do we want to do first?" She asked Edric and the other initiates.

Ralene watched the gaggle of girls and other Initiates devolve into chatter of shopping and fashion, a look of distaste settling over her expression.

"Not that," she shot at Ella with a raised brow, tossed her coin purse once and pocketed it in a leather satchel strapped on her thigh, "time for some grub and glub." Food and drink. And maybe some local friendly competition at the nearest tavern.

In the opposite direction of where the children were going. Ralene didn't wait, she set off down the street, head on a swivel for signs and establishments.

 

[Edric]

Edric watched as a gaggle of his peers immediately broke off and decided that the best option would be to head towards the beach. A frown pulled at his lips for a brief moment as he considered the option, head shaking.

"I've had enough of fucking oceans." He commented dryly, remembering his journeys with both Noel and Kristen.

After those instances Edric could go his entire life without seeing the sea again. He turned on his heel almost instantly, deciding to take the same path as Ralene and head off into the city itself. He fell into stride besides her, though wasn't entirely intent on food like she was.

Cen'ahir was a city of many delights.

The town was something of a resort, if such a thing even existed in the world. One could find Casinos, spas, bars, and pretty much anything else that could be imagined.

Edric just intended to have a poke around, seeing where it would land him.

 

[Oraya Urahil]

A long-suffering sigh escaped Perci at Kalix's string of familiar 'heys.' Brown eyes traveled downward to look at him. He was still a good inch shorter than herself. She's played volleyball once before. It was before the Revolution and they'd used an elf-head as the ball.

Kalix was more family to her than her own sisters. So was his older and shorter brother.

"Okay," the dreadkid finally grumbled. "But you are buying." He said he'd pay her for dance lessons from the past few months. Might as well get a little chunk of that back, now. A frown at Ryan Ashford. Cute did not exist in Perseus' vocabulary.

More money for her to send home to a failing minor house.

The tall, curvy woman turned to Chasmine. "You take elf head and keep it in the air long enough to smash it into the ground on the enemy side." Perci was rather proud of herself at the volleyball explanation. A mildly troubled look crossed her face as she turned back to Kalix.

"Illegal now?"

 

[Eleanor]

Ella agreed with Ralene. Food and drinks. She took off in the direction of Ralene and Eric. She had no desire to go to the beach and get sand in every crevice. No thank you!

"Hey, Ral, any ideas on the best bar to cause some problems in?" Ella asked as she caught up with the other Initiate. She was not sure if Edric was joining them or not but Ella had a sack of coins that needed spending.

Ralene

 

[Samantha Black]

"Not a fucking clue," Ral replied without looking back, "but the shittier it looks, the riper the trouble." At least, that's how it usually went, and Ral had been on enough missions to other cities to know.

She hadn't a mind for causing trouble, her mind was presently fixated on her gut and her gut wanted sustenance. "Where are you headed, Ed?"

Eleanor Edric

 

[Kalix]

Kalix frowned, looking at his sack of coin. When he said pay Perci back he meant like maybe making her bed or handling dish duty for her. But really, he hated chores. This did make much more sense. Pay her now and not have to do it again! Yeah smart move Kalix!

“Yeah, I got you.” He said before looking down at Chasmine. It seemed very unlikely that he would get along with her, if anything, he should be her biggest bully. But he wasn’t. And why? Because Chasmine saw ghosts like how sometimes he could sense them! If only she was at Walter Banick’s estate, she could’ve helped him with those polterguys Kalix knew he felt in that room.

“Well the elf head is illegal now, yeah.” Kalix said, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked up at the sky. “Now they just use hide balls.” Same thing really, but less fun. No blood got on your hands. He looked around. Sweet, more girls than guys.

“Yeah I don’t really wanna play volleyball in armor,” Kalix said. “We’ll get something better to wear. Chas and Liza you two gonna play with us, yeah?” He looked at the two shortest members of practically the entire class. Man hopefully those shorties could find something to fit them!

Perseus Ryan Ashford Chasmine Liza Newcastle Sable Pembroke

 

[Chasmine]

Elf head? Somehow, Chasmine seemed to have missed that part of schooling. She could not recall a game played that involved smashing elf heads despite the fact that plenty of elves had met their demise at the hands of the young men and women presently assembled around her.

"I'm not sure," she answered Kalix uncertainly, "I've never played vollball before, but I would like to browse the shops. Do you suppose they sell tea mugs here?"

 

[Noel]

Noel frowned at the money handed to her. If she wanted something, if any of them wanted something they would simply take it. They were Dreadlord initiates, not Elbion students.

Still, sometimes the carrot was easier to wield than the stick. The raven-haired initiate pocketed the coin. Just in case.

She’d debated simply walking to the edge of the waves, enjoying the salt water whip at her ankles, taking full advantage of the brief respite they’d been granted. But, then, Sable had suggested they procure swimwear.

Noel had reveled in crafting platinum ornaments for her own clothing or wearing an outfit slightly differently to show off whatever feature she’d hoped to accentuate that day. On only a handful of occasions she had been allowed to adorn someone else. The most well known case being the time she’d gotten to doll up Eleanor for that dance they’d all endured. And Ella had become one of the major talks of that little ball until Chas had well…

It wasn’t worth dwelling on.

”Let's go shopping,” Noel said with a smug grin, ”they definitely have tea mugs and vollballs,” she glanced at the other students with a devilish look.

”Among other things.”

 

[Sable Pembroke]

There was...a lot going on. Ella, Ralene, and Edric seemed to be heading...elsewhere, off to do there own thing. Sable wasn't about to go policing the problem kids at this point, especially after the events of the dance. There was some modicum of comradery he felt with Edric, or at least that he owed him something for saving Meredith. If he and anyone else wanted to wander off and get into trouble he would keep his nose out of it this time.

Ryan, Perseus, Kalix, and Chasmine at least seemed interested in Sable's earlier mention of shopping. And then Noel piped up. Sable knew that look. He didn't like that look.
"Yeah...let's..." He hazarded hesitantly. Then he quirked a brow; inspiration had struck. "If anything, Noel seems to be quite the fashionista. Perhaps she could pick something out for each of us."

Then he turned his gaze to look down at Kalix.
"After we're done we can head down to the beach. I have been looking for a little extra competition lately." He offered, knowing exactly how that particular hook would eventually play out.

 

[Liza Newcastle]

Liza fell in step with Kalix and Perseus very much feeling like a tiny child walking among giants. Head tipped far back as she looked up at Kalix. "W-What?" A light flush graced Liza's cheeks and her gaze darted away from Kalix. "Yeah... Guess I'll play."

First things first though. Shopping. Liza wasn't sure she liked the look Noel was giving them. Could she really trust Noel to pick something that suited her? A shudder passed through Liza as she remembered how Noel had fixed up Ella at the ball. It certainly had had the desired effect, but there was no way she wanted to show that much skin. But she had no idea what she was doing, and Noel was always very well dressed... Maybe it was worth the risk to trust her judgement.

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

None of the others seemed to follow Drastus, and that suited him just fine. He would get food and drink, but on the beach. The best of both worlds. And he didn't need a swim suit, that's what being nekkid was for or at the very least underwear. So, he would stick his hands in his pockets and whistle a cheery tune, something he had heard at the tavern.

Either way, today was a good day. He would, however, wave off Kalix and his other friends. Maybe he would crash with their group later, maybe not. Depended what he inhaled or how drunk he got.

 

[HRavielle]

Ryan let Noel take the lead on the swimsuit shopping. She was more hungry than anything so she hung back and looked over at Drastus as the group headed to the shops. She knew him but they never really hung out before.

"Do you mind if I hang with you while they shop? I am starving," she asked the Initiate with a smile.

She had a few classes with him and he always seemed to be in a good mood. She hoped he didn't mind. She could always go shopping first if he did.

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Edric]

Eleanor | Ralene

"Fuck if I know." Edric said with a roll of his shoulders, weighing the pouch of coins still in his hand. A frown pulled at his lips as he glanced down at it, head shaking.

The pouch was quickly hooked onto his belt. "I don't even know what the we're supposed to do."

A bar sounded good for a little while though, food did too.

"I'll tag along with you." He told the two girls. "Until I find something that piques my interest."

There had to be something for him in this town.

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

His whistle stopped as Ryan approached and asked if she could join. Definitely not a problem. He responded to her smile with a grin and an offering of his arm. "I'd be insulted if you didn't." He joked. The arm was purely to make fun of his brother. "Love to have the company."

"What are you feeling for food?" He asked. "Could see what their seafood is like." He offered.

Ryan Ashford

 

[HRavielle]

Ryan looked at his arm with a chuckle but she didn't take it. She was not the touching type.

"Seafood sounds pretty good," she agreed. She hadn't had seafood in quite a while and she couldn't think of a more appropriate food to eat at the beach. "I would feel silly eating a steak at the beach," she added as they walked.

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

He laughed when she didn't take his arm. "My brother is a knight. Always tells me to offer the arm." He shrugged. "He's the Lord and a gentleman, I am not."

"Seafood does sound good, doesn't it? Especially on the beach." He looked around them, it was pretty nice. "Oh yeah, or like lewd amounts of bread. You're still going to need a suit for the water, if you're going swimming that is." He shrugged as he put his hands in his pockets.


Ryan Ashford