OPEN LOG: A beach party.

[bouchonne]

WHO: Everyone.
WHAT: A beach party.
WHEN: On a very hot day. At some point during the month.
WHERE: A beach just outside of Kirkwall.
NOTES: It is a beach party.

During a particularly hot and oppressive week in Kingsway, the Diplomacy division announces it will be diverting some of its funds to organize a party on a nearby beach. Kirkwallers are invited as well - a relationship-building sort of effort - but the party is mostly intended for morale boosting for Riftwatch itself.

The party features the following:

• Transportation to this lovely beach from the Gallows and from Kirkwall.


• Sunbathing and swimming in skimpy (or non-skimpy, if you're a fuckin square) bathing suits.


• Live music and dancing.


• Delectable grilled meats (and some vegetables, if you're a fuckin square).


• Rum drinks served in hollowed-out fruits.


• A sandcastle-building competition.


• A swim race.


• A few fun little sailboats bobbing around out on the water.

Does all that sound too wholesome? Great! There's also a cave system in the cliffs next to the beach. These little grottos are full of nooks and crannies and are perfect for a bit of sinful action after dark; in one cavern, there'll be some gambling games where some of Kirkwall's citizens are losing money; in another, you're likely to run into people making out.

Have fun! Soak up sun! Don't get in trouble! Or do, whatever, it's a beach party.

Comments

[highborn]

[ He lets out a light breath he hadn't been aware of catching, but no relief comes with it. Maybe it would have been better if she'd jerked away in fear, then he wouldn't have to find the least awkward way out of this topic. ]

No, it was ... coerced. From me, I mean. [ His brow furrows as his chest tightens despite the cloying smoke from the joint. ] Perhaps ... any other topic. If you don't mind.

[sulahnan]

[ Shrug. ]

Sure. Let's see... [ A moment to mull over potential topics. And to appreciate the depth of the high settling over her from the elfroot. A pleasant electric sensation skittering over her skin, warming her face, feeling at once heavy in her bones and buoyant. ]

If you had to choose someone in our company to fight, who would it be, and why?

[highborn]

[ There's the relief, washing in like a wave with no small bit of appreciation along with it. What a woman. ]

Well. [ His smile is back, a little tired around the edges. ] I'm a terrible duelist, so really the question is who would kill me most quickly and get it over with?

[sulahnan]

The Scoutmaster, Yseult. Without question.

[highborn]

Excellent, that's the one for me.

[ He shifts to return her earlier gesture, brushing a bit of hair off of her forehead with a gentle touch. It's a good excuse to inch a little nearer, too. ]

And you, who will you be fighting?

[sulahnan]

[ Aha. His touch draws her smile a little wider. She's usually the one playing his part in this sort of dance. Mirroring gestures, toeing the line.

She pretends to think about it, really considering her options. ]

Hmm. You said you're not much of a duelist, but how good are you with your hands?

[highborn]

[ His smile picks up in one corner, with a dash of the old roguish look he used to call home. ]

I could tell you I'm a genius with them, but I'm certain it would only sound like bragging, so I'd better demonstrate.

[ And he twirls a finger, requesting she flip to her stomach. There's a sexy backrub on today's menu. ]

[sulahnan]

Bold strategy, making your opponent expose their back for the first move.

[ But she complies, going one step further to pull her barely-there cover-up off over her head to fold over her arms and use as a head-rest. ]

[highborn]

Even bolder is agreeing to it.

[ He'll start things lightly, just settling himself down beside Athessa. His hands land open-palmed on her shoulders, touch light, for a light skim down warm skin. It's nice. It's always nice to touch someone, grounding.

He gets to it. It is quite good, his touch a very practiced combination of gentle tracing and deep massaging. He's had a lot of time to polish this particular flirty move. ]

[sulahnan]

[ The thing about sexy back rubs as flirting is they make for a great preview. Of what someone's skin feels like, of their shape and form, and of the sounds they make when something feels good.

Nothing crazy, this isn't the diner scene in When Harry Met Sally, but soft sighs and hums and the odd groan are perfectly appropriate for such an occasion. ]

I like to be — mm — unexpected.

[highborn]

Not to worry, you are.

[ He appreciates the running non-verbal commentary of his efforts; it guides his hands, and they seek any particularly sore or in-need-of-a-massage areas. ]

[sulahnan]

I think I could still take ya.

[ Briefly, she thinks that maybe if she had someone to rub her back like this all the time, she could do without sex. But only briefly. (Por que no los dos?) Vanadi finds a knot and she groans, her face against her folded arms. ]

Ohh, right there—

[highborn]

Right at this very moment? [ He obeys the command, focusing where instructed with smooth, slow pressure. ] Gods, but I would hope not. It would mean I'm not doing my job.

[sulahnan]

Oh, but what you're doing, you're doing very well.

[ A sigh, and she turns her head to look at him out of the corner of her eye, a satisfied smirk on her lips. ]

Is this a technique you use often?

[highborn]

[ He shifts to more easily meet that sidelong look, and the return smile is fond. ]

Hm. This question feels like a trap, my dear.

[sulahnan]

[ The smirk spreads to a grin. ]

Only for people who give a shit about exclusivity.

[highborn]

[ Which, the general bearing suggests, she does not. He huffs a quick breath of a laugh. ]

True enough. Well, allow me to point out that skills like these are honed by practice.

[sulahnan]

So in a century and a quarter you've become adept at question dodging and massages, it's no wonder being a duelist got neglected.

[ As reluctant as she is to move, Athessa has to do something to prevent herself from getting massaged to sleep. So she pushes herself up, leaning on one hand and caring very little about any of the sand stuck to her skin. ]

How else did you spend your time, before all this?

[highborn]

[ He shifts to accommodate, and makes absolutely no effort to not enjoy the view, sand and all. ]

I travelled.

[ He leans in, one hand brushing sand gently from one of her shoulders. ]

And before that, I largely hosted extravagant parties on my family's dime. Lots of food, wine, and sex. [ He quirks a humorless smile. ] I made quite a nuisance of myself, really.

[sulahnan]

[ She doesn't move away from his touch, watching him with keen interest when he leans closer and tipping her head eeeever so slightly towards the opposite shoulder. Baring her neck, in part, but also angling her face so their noses won't collide in case he— ]

Aha, [ as if everything makes sense now. ] It's no wonder you and Byerly get on so well.

Whereabouts did you travel? What kinds of places, I mean.

[ Obviously she won't know any of them. ]

[highborn]

[ He knows that tip of the head, and he loves it. But he doesn't steer for the obvious just yet — first his brushing hand turns into a trailing finger, wandering the road of her collarbone. ]

A bumpy start, but yes, we found some common ground. [ His finger comes to rest at the hollow of her neck, and his eyes flick back up to hers again. ] I spent some time in a desert. There I found a tiny town beholden to a very large goat, with nearly all the people wearing masks and veils, and the children named with numbers. I didn't spend long there.

[sulahnan]

A goat?! A big goat.

[ She laughs, delighted by this unexpected detail. ]

Wh— How big was this very large goat, exactly?

[highborn]

Oh, monstrous, I suppose. It only appeared for some yearly sacrifice to it. I made sure not to be there to see it.

[sulahnan]

What if it had actually been a regular goat, just a little bit bigger than the others?

[highborn]

Hmm, it could have been. It wouldn't be all so strange for a small village to fly into hysterics over a larger than average goat.