Super fly, super good, shoulda, could, knew I would

Got a spark in your heart so strike it

The water around them is stunningly clear and bright, and definitely devoid of sharks (he would know, he thoroughly checked for a long time before getting it). The day overhead is clear, and if you stare into the distance, the sea and the sky appear to merge into one blue fold of the world. Kaisel grunts as he falls back into his inflatable alligator, glancing over his shades at Noe. His sandals are abandoned on the shore, along with his tank-top. He's got on his black and blue ombre swim trunks and sunscreen, because it's very important despite what the Queen of Torchline has to say.

"Thanks for coming out with me," he says with the heaved sigh of someone settling into relaxation. "I wanted to soak up some more sun before we head back. It's nice here, doncha think?" he tilts his head back, feet crossing over the ankle. She's still infected, he's well aware, but here, away from the Family, he can almost pretend everything is ok for a little while. "So, what've you been up to cuz?"

---

Putting this pre almost dying, post bbq

Why you got it in for me?
Is it cause I bring it to your knees?

It was clear and beautiful and blue, and Noe was dressed for the occasion in a bright pink bikini that showed off her perfectly tanned skin, sunscreen (courtesy of Kaisel), and no shades, thank you, because who needs those tan lines? She floated along on a large, inflatable donut, complete with little sprinkles that she thought were just adorable, one foot hooked onto Kaisel's alligator so they didn't float apart.

"Oh, yeah, Torchline's great," she said, and she was entirely sincere. "I thought about moving here for a while, but I could never do that to Koa." Not that it hadn't crossed her mind once or twice in recent seasons, but she just never really felt like putting in the effort these days. Especially not when she could come and go as she pleased. She dipped her toes in the crystalline water, flicking droplets everywhere as she gently kicked to turn for the best sun. "Oh, not much. Working, mostly. What about you? Any fun missions lately?"

Throw water on electricity just to see
If the spark'll make us feel the way we used to feel

Noe

Got a spark in your heart so strike it

The soft fwush of her inflatable gliding in alongside his, bouncing against the edge briefly, drags his lazy head to the side to regard the chosen donut and sprinkles with a faint smile. "You picked that one because it matches your suit, huh?" he would shake his head, but eh, that feels like too much work. He tilts it back instead, nuzzling up to the perfect crook in the alligator's puffy pockets.

"No shit?" The thought of Noe living anywhere but within the city seemed too farfetched to fully consider. "Koa would want you to go wherever you're happiest I'm sure. But, don't you like the city? I mean, Torchline's great, but all this sun and sand seems better to visit than live in." he's positive he might melt if he had to stay here longer than he has. Ice-cold drinks and ocean water can only do so much for so long, and he's so damn tired of having to piss all the time because of it. "I've been thinking of moving too though," he admits with a languid wave of his hand over the water, fingertips skimming the surface. "Although I just mean a new house, my own house, but still in Stormbreak." He loves his mom and dad, but he's ready for something that he can call his own finally.

Some of her toe-droplets splatter against his side, the cold setting in like fire. He squirms away from it, alligator skin whining underneath, the inflatable threatening to buck. He stills, arms splayed on either side. "Brrrrrr" he groans, though as the immediate shock fades it actually feels nice, especially when the mild breeze hits it. Carefully he readjusts back to center on the alligator, huffing out as he does. "Eh, kinda. I mean, a mission is the whole reason I came to Torchline a bit ago and saw the BBQ invites. It just isn't the most exciting," He drops his hand back to the water, playing with the surface tension. "Some group of morons needed search and rescue after trying to travel with only Hels. As you'd expect, they flew off and the group was left to tread water. Their friends and family were the ones that put in the report, and since the idiots are from Stormbreak we got involved. With the help of Torchline we got them before they became lunch, or got too tired to keep floating. They lucked out, found some stray shit to hold onto and keep them above water, but they were out there for like two days." Kaisel shook his head.

"Better than guard duty at least I guess."

Why you got it in for me?
Is it cause I bring it to your knees?

”Obviously,” Noe replied with a grin. ”It’s the perfect accessory.” She kicked her free foot in the water, spraying them both with cool droplets as she turned herself to face Kai more fully.

The sun was bright overhead as Noe considered. ”I mean, sure, I love Stormbreak, but for the longest time, my best friend lived here, and I’ve got more friends here than back home,” she explained with a shrug. Of course, now Jude was living in Stormbreak with them, which was just one more reason not to leave. ”But, like… even though I thought about it, I could never really pull the trigger, you know?” She’d always been drawn back home one way or another.

Torchline was beautiful, but it wasn’t without its dangers - which, apparently, the people Kai had helped rescue had figured out for themselves. Noe snorted at his story, shaking her head at their idiocy. ”They’re lucky you guys found them,” she said. ”They could have been swept out on a current or something.” Never to be seen again. ”So are you heading back to Stormbreak soon, then?”

Throw water on electricity just to see
If the spark'll make us feel the way we used to feel

Noe

Got a spark in your heart so strike it

He can understand her desire to move where friends are. They're a certain kind of family too, the kind you get to pick, the kind that keep choosing you for you, not because they have to. He'd briefly considered it himself recently, but the fact he just joined the Dragoon ranks, a dream he's had for a while, supersedes anything else right now. He wants to be stronger, wants to make a name for himself that's worth saying. Time and practice, he can do it.

"Yeah," he says with a tilt of his head towards her, shifting against the alligator precariously. "I'm going back after the Hanged Man party. Gotta resume training and patrols." The mission out here had led to a bit of an extended break as one opportunity after another rose up. The people of Torchline seemed to come alive during Longheat, weirdly enough given how fucking hot it is here, but it felt like one party after another was being planned.

A glint in the clear water catches his eye then, and he lifts himself a bit to better turn down and see it, really stressing the line of the floatie's committment to staying upright. "Hey, what's that?" he asks, peering at the golden sheen of something under the water, nestled amid the rock and ground below.

Why you got it in for me?
Is it cause I bring it to your knees?

"Yeah, I've gotta head back, too," Noe said, reaching to trail her fingers in the cool water. "I've gotta finish setting up my office." She'd been interrupted last time she'd tried, and she had been so busy since then that she hadn't had a chance to finish. Now the building was in disarray, and she'd taken to meeting her clients onsite instead of inviting them to visit her.

Kaisel lifted himself to look down into the water, his floatie squeaking in protest, and Noe leaned to look, too. Somewhere beneath the surface, something gold glinted in the water. "I dunno," the girl said, peering at it as though she could see it better if she only tried hard enough. "D'you think it's treasure?" Or something similarly valuable, anyway. Noe liked shiny things - but not enough to go diving in after it. She didn't want to deal with wet hair.

Throw water on electricity just to see
If the spark'll make us feel the way we used to feel

Noe

Got a spark in your heart so strike it

There's a tipping point where Kaisel leans too far, too trusting of the balance that an inflatable alligator is willing to provide. With a cry that cuts into a splash, he tumbles gracelessly into the crisp water. The alligator does a single death-roll imitation as it pops back up behind him, right-side up and as merry as before. He breaks the surface with a sputter, one hand grabbing for her spinkled edge as he drifts to Noe's more sturdy selection.

"I think it's fucking wet," he complains as his free hand slicks his hair back and sheets water from his face. "Well, guess I might as well find out now," he mutters to her, irritation dissolving into curiosity again. Besides, the water's nice. "Bet you lunch it's some kind of fancy relic," he grins at her before sucking in a breath and diving down to find out.

The dive is deeper than it first appeared above, and with nothing but a floating donut to send him on his way, he has to pour his energy into the slice of his hands and the ick of his feet, at least until some of the rocks and coastline nears enough that he can grab for them, using the handholds to pullhimself further down, towards that glimmering gold.

Why you got it in for me?
Is it cause I bring it to your knees?

Noe shrieked as Kaisel splashed into the pool, reaching up with her arms as though to protect herself from the cool spray. While it did actually feel kind of nice, she glared at her cousin as he surfaced. When he grabbed onto her donut, she placed a foot on his shoulder and shoved at him. "If you dump me in this water, Kai, I swear to the gods -" But then he was gone, diving down into the depths.

Noe huffed theatrically, leaning over the edge of her floatie to watch Kaisel make his way deeper and deeper. With her lips pursed and her brow creased, the girl waited impatiently for her cousin to resurface. If she had to go in after him, she was going to be pissed. Still, she had to admit to some degree of curiosity. Maybe Kai would find something super fun and interesting at the bottom of the pool - gods knew that enough weird shit probably got thrown in to make it happen.

Throw water on electricity just to see
If the spark'll make us feel the way we used to feel

Noe

Got a spark in your heart so strike it

Noe's threat follows him down with a smile, but he presses it away with the need to maintain his breath, hauling himself deeper and deeper. The shine continues the entire time, a guiding light of wonder that he eagerly pursues with the boyish hope of adventure and riches.

His dreams are short-lived however, because the closer he gets, the more clear the shine becomes. Floating amid the reach of his hands is a fishing lure, painted gold to match a particular style of fish, the glint to serve like scales flashing in light to snare the attention of the larger fish. Not quite the fantastical relic he had imagined, full of power and secrets.

He grabs the damn fake fish and shoves off the nearby rocks hard, steadily kicking and reaching back to the surface. He breaks the water back near the donut, tossing a wreath of droplets as he shakes his head and gulps in air. "Just. Bait." he pants, one arm reaching out for her floatie, the other holding up the little lure for her to see.

Why you got it in for me?
Is it cause I bring it to your knees?

Noe continued to peer over the edge of her donut, chin propped on her arms. Fortunately, Kai didn't seem to need her assistance; before too long, he was rising to the surface, and Noe sat up straighter as he broke free, gulping in air. This time, when he reached for her floatie, she let him grab on, peering with interest at the item in his hand -

Only to find a damn fish. And not even a live one. The girl sank back onto her inflatable with a pout. "There goes my shopping spree," she said, mischief flashing in her dark eyes. Then she tilted her head to one side, presumably to think. "What, you don't like fishing?"

Throw water on electricity just to see
If the spark'll make us feel the way we used to feel

Noe

Got a spark in your heart so strike it

He laughs, "your shopping spree?! What about my shopping spree!" All his time in Torchline lately has required the purchase of additional clothes for the heat and all the swimming, plus he had to save up for moving out. He could always do more Silk House fights and earn some money there, but he'd been absent from Stormbreak lately with all the traveling, and all the beachfront parties to attend.

He shrugs at her question, though the movement is a bit lost as he's using his arms to hang on. "I mean, it's fine I guess. Kinda boring." He'd gone a time or two with his father, but all the silence and the stillness required for it nearly killed him. Maybe harpoon fishing would be more exciting. He tosses the lure back in, watching the gold glint as it twists and churns in the descent, becoming smaller. Let it trick some other fool.

He swims back towards his alligator and after a bout of splashes, curses, ungracefully flailing limbs, and squeaking plastic, he manages to clamber his way back on. Breathless with the effort for something that should be so simple, Kaisel flops dramatically limp against the floatie, willing the sun to bake some energy back into him, or at least some dryness. "Let's get some food in a bit, yeah?" he asks, tilting his head to look over at her, smiling weakly. He wishes he could give her a shopping spree, and a cure, and all the things she needs and could want. All he can do is float next to her though, and pretend things are okay. So they talk about anything and everything until he's dry and they're hungry.

[FIN]