Aberrant: The Middle Children of History - It's my birthday and I'll party if I want to...

[Neil Preston]

The game had been enjoyable for multiple reasons. First and foremost it did the Healer good to see so many of his people getting together, putting ego aside, and having some fun. Right behind that was the sheer joy of watching a nova body function. Neil could see the life energy course through the bodies as the power coiled up within them and reached out for release.

It was even amazing to see how things went wrong, though they rarely did in this crowd. When the game ended, Neil opted to correct a few of the miniscule flaws that he had seen.

Neil walked up to Infinity and her minders. To the caucasian,

"Your elbow please?"

"Say what?" the man said pulling away and looking somewhat offended.

"You came down somewhat hard on your elbow and its strained. If you like, I can heal it and make the pain go away."

Suspicious, the man offered his arm to Neil, though he stole a look to Infinity. The power flowed out of Neil and eased the elbow back into the form it was meant to be in.

"There you go," Niel offered with a grin. Before the man could take further offense from Neil's contact, Neil moved on.

"Infinity, I can deal with that burn if you like. It won't take a second."

Infinity was looking like she was going to give him the benefit of the doubt. For her, Neil's touch started out as warm, but rapidly became a cooling touch as it erased the burn and returned her skin's vitality in seconds. He smiled down at her and said,

"That's all. I've got to get Ptesan now. She fell hard and is going to have a headache if I don't help out."

"Nice game," he said and then turned and walked away toward the Native American Goddess.

[Mech]

Connor enjoyed the game, all in all it was good fun to play against other novas. By the end of it he had eschewed a shirt and his skin was already starting to tan. He never really burned thanfully, but even so he could get a good tan. He smiled and dove into the water. He waves to the others. "Come on int the water's fine."

[Ptesan-Wi]

The game had actually been fun... all the more so with the "no powers" rule that brought everyone, if not down to her level, at least close enough to maintain appearances. And she had to admit, jumping around next to the mostly bare body of Phaethon was far from a chore; it was only with great reluctance that she had warned him to keep the small wrap in place, rather than toss it to the side as he had wished. The young man had clearly been raised to be a god....

Still, the one time she was knocked into the ground had left her head spinning for a moment. When she saw Neil heading her way after the game, though, she raised a hand and shook her head slightly; "I'm fine," she declared as he reached out with his healer's hand. In fact, she was fine, to Neil's surprise. Privately, she explained: *You are not the only one with strong medicine, Neil Preston. I may not advertise such beyond the tribe, but I have at least some small skill.* With an almost impish grin, she added, *And now, I think it's time to get back to the fun. Come on!* She turned and, stripping off the leather tunic to reveal her bare body, lightly jogged off toward the water.

[z-Infinity]

"Oh, fuck her sideways," Infinity cursed when she saw that fucking squaw strip naked and head for the water. She had been considering going swimming, but now the last thing she wanted to do was get compared to Ptesan-Wi. And she would get compared - that's what men did, especially teenage men. And while Infinity might have a body free of baseline imperfections, so did Little Ms. Brain-fryer, in addition to having bigger boobs, fuller hips and a prettier face.

Katsuro just laughed. "If you're going to make your move, you need to do it soon," he said. "He's coming this way."

Infinity perked up when she saw that the gold boy was coming their direction. "How do I look?"

"You look like you," Katsuro said, giving her a little smile. "Just right."

"Great. The last person I want to be," Infinity grumbled. Her eyes narrowed and she stared at Katsuro suspiciously. "Say, why are you encouraging me?"

"Because it will be fun to watch," he answered, then smacked her ass. "Go play with the boy-child."

Infinity glared at him for a moment but quickly walked toward Phaethon. "Hey," she said with a warm smile. "I'm Infinity. I'm sure you heard that, but I wanted to introduce myself to you."

[Raijin]

Raijin had fairly dominated clost to the net. His tremendous speed, exceptional height, long reach and mighty arms made for some impressive spikes. Still the combination of both Phaeton and Mech on the other team made a potent counterbalance to his skill and allowed him to really enjoy the match.

He had a few errors where he set the ball with so much strength that his teammates couldn't react but he quickly adapted and pulled his punches, giving Elspeth some nice assists that made her look really good. Mostly he was just playing to enjoy the company of others, yet still for someone who had zero experience with this game he demonstrated peak athletic ability. He never even broke a sweat.

After the match was done, he could not help but notice Ptesan-Wi's gleaming nubile body as she disrobed before him. He immediately disrobed as well and flew easily beside her toward the water. It turned out that *everything* about the godling nova was massive. With no shame or self consciouness he flew next to her, emanating a primal aura of raw sexuality. He said nothing overt, nor made any clumsy attempts to hit on her. He merely allowed them to feel the proximiy of each other. They were gods, and they were woman and man. No words were needed to express the possibilities. When they reached the water, Petsan-Wi dived headlong into the surf, and Raijin followed.

"A lovely day for a first meeting, White Calf Buffalo Woman. You are every inch your Legend."

((Though ugly by human standards, Raijin nonetheless exudes powerful pheremones and an aura of attraction. I know we are just roleplaying through it, but just for fun, I rolled Raijin's seduction, 11 plus one Mega and came up with 7 successes. The Mega came up a 10. W00t! http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1673391/))

[Courtney Adams]

Phaethon's face was a picture as he passed Ptesan-Wi on her way down to the water. It was obvious enough to anyone watching that he had never seen a naked woman before, but that wasn't what was interesting. Without baseline mores or expectations infecting his attitudes, Phaethon's reaction was one of unabashed appreciation: the youth gazed at Ptesan-Wi's body as they passed one another before meeting her eyes with a smile. He was nearly distracted from his hunger and thirst, but the strange aromas ahead kept his feet moving over the sand.

Then Infinity approached him. Phaethon studied her as she came near, from her warm smile to the glints of light that were her piercings.

"Hello, Infinity. Yes, I did catch your name, but it's nice to meet you personally." Phaethon brushed his wet hair back out of his face and offered her a warm, dazzling smile along with his outstretched hand. "I'm Phaethon."

[Netherworld]

The man grabbed his hand roughly nad squeezed it. Is this how you shake a hand?. He tried to respond in a similar fashion.

Where am I from? American? He knew that they spoke the language of French in the area he first appeared in after his apotheosis. His mother spoke English and French to him as he grew up. Could I have been born in France? As for the American question. He only heard of it in stories and in history books. His mom's paranoia restricted his access to television and movies. She was afraid that they would hurt her son.

"I am from France." It was as good an answer as anything. "I have been to the US once."

[z-Infinity]

"It's good to meet you in a more personal way," Infinity said, giving unmistakable tells with her eyes, lips and body. Well, they were unmistakable to anyone who had any social experience. Whether or not Phaethon saw them for what they were was another question. "I've heard so many stories of Procyon," most of them bad, "so it's neat to meet... his son? Little brother?"

Ok, so flirting could be informative, too. And depending on how her day ended, she may or may not sell that information. She did have some credit with Skeet, after all.

Sitting in the shade of the tent, the two criminals watched her. "Our little girl is all grown up," Stanley chuckled.

"Humph," Katsuro mumbled, drawing hard on the sake he'd requested.

"Next thing you know, we'll have to give her the talk."

"Mmm-hmm."

"Or, you can grunt at me."

"Sure."

"Fine." There was a beat, and then Stanley said, "So what's the deal?"

"Deal?"

"With you, and her."

"There is no deal," Katsuro informed Stanley. There was no anger in his tone, nothing to indicate that this line of questioning bothered him. "It is what it is, or isn't."

Stanley stared at the Japanese man, his eyes narrowing. "You are fucking weird, man."

"Thank you. If you can't understand me, then I'm doing it right."

Not a lot was said after that.

[Courtney Adams]

"Father." Phaethon was definitely a little distracted by Infinity's body language. "I mean, yes he's my father. I'm his son." Unused to flirtation though he was, he was neither blind nor a eunuch, and he felt his face grow a little warmer as he gazed back into the girl's eyes.

"I hope that's not a problem for you, though." He smiled a little at her, unconsciously mirroring some of her cues as his body turned more towards hers, creating a near-intimate space. "I know my father made more enemies than friends while he was here, but I am not my father, and I would rather have friends." His handsome features were as earnest as his tone.

"Part of why I am here is to learn for myself, to grow as an individual. My father knows that I cannot be a replica of him in thought, word and deed, and so he is allowing me to find my own truths." He tilted his head at Infinity, smiling at her. "So what is your truth, Infinity?" he asked playfully.

[z-Infinity]

Oh, yeah! He's flirting back! Externally, she did what she could to stay cool. "Yeah, your dad wasn't very popular," Infinity admitted, as if that wasn't the understatement of the year. "My parents weren't very fond of him." Another understatement. "I never really had an opinion about him one way or another, ya know? He's been gone since I was a kid, and I wasn't too worried about him then."

Behind Phaethon, she caught sight of Raijin and she felt her eyebrows jump in surprise before she caught herself. She wasn't sure why she should be surprised - one nova had stripped naked, and given that they tended to be randier than rabbits, a cascade effect wasn't a stretch. Maybe it wasn't surprise, but simple intimidation, much in the same way that someone striding toward you purposefully with a naked baseball bat could be intimidating, outside of a game.

She wondered, idly, what Elspeth was thinking about Raijin's open pants policy. Or would that be Ptes- Ptesa- that Indian chick's open pants policy?

"My truth?" Infinity said, stalling for a moment as she tried to come up with something that wasn't dorkilicious. Something Genesis had said to her jumped to her mind, and her lips curved into a coy smile. "I'm pure quantum, the openness of potential. I could do or be anything, at any moment." That was not a badly spun piece of bullshit. She dared to take his hand, turning it so that their palms and fingers pressed together, so that his hand outlined her smaller hand to her eyes. "I'm the Future, and in the future, I will be everything to everyone." Her smile deepened. "So... what can I be to you right now?"

[Courtney Adams]

Phaethon blushed and gave a low laugh, aware of a pleasant warmth in his spine as Infinity toyed with his hand. He gently slid his palm against hers, wrapping his bronzed and slightly calloused fingers around her slender digits. She smelled of suntan lotion, shampoo and some other perfume that he didn't recognise.

"Well, you're doing a good job of flustering me." He grinned at her, an openly mischievous expression despite his fading blush. "Maybe you could be my official flusterer. Though what I'd really like to do is eat and drink. I haven't had..." he stopped, having nearly blurted out Terran food. "Umm... real food in a while." He looked deep into her eyes, still with a smile on his lips. "I suppose you could say I've been living wild."

That was close. But would it hurt for her to know? Or anyone? Maybe. Best to be careful with some truths. He was vaguely saddened to not be able to tell his new friend about where he came from, and he felt for the first time the true weight of the distance between him and his home. Phaethon's eyes glimmered slightly as the young sun god suddenly felt alone, and sadness crept into his smile for a moment. He shook it off and looked back at Infinity.

"So, what's good around here? To eat, that is."

[z-Infinity]

Infinity was nearly dizzy with delight. This was working - this was mother-fucking working! A cute guy - a mega-cute guy - was was flirting with her and didn't seem to be making fun of her. This might work after all. Infinity had been laid before; she'd grown up in the Cult of Mal which wasn't Pandemonium but had its own lax sense of morality. Add in absent parents and other sexually inquisitive teenaged novas, and no one in Infinity's peer group had reach majority without a firm education in sexual matters. Infinity, unlike the others, had always felt like she got the courtesy fuck, though, like they slept with her because no one wanted to say no.

But she wasn't getting that from Phaethon. Infinity's delight might have been dampened if she'd known that she was the second mature woman that Phaethon had talked to since he was a child. But ignorance is bliss, and she simply enjoyed the feel of his hand curling around hers.

"Living wild?" she asked, though it wasn't so much her interrogating him - her secondary motives were flying out of her head with each excited beat of her hormonially satuated heart - as it was an excuse to shift her grip and lead him by the hand to the food tent. "You poor thing," she said softly, letting him see the bounty before them. "A nova's greatest blessing is getting to eat anything to eat," she added as she plucked up a bamboo spear of chocolate-dipped fruit and took the first piece herself before offering the next to him.

[Courtney Adams]

"Oh, It wasn't that bad..." Phaethon started to say before seeing the spread laid out. The party food was a riot of colors and shapes on the table; no large haunches of a giant herbivore roasted by his own fire, no sun-warmed fruit gathered by his own hand from the tops of silver-leafed trees. To the young nova, this was a paradise of experiences waiting to be savored. He recognised some foods from his childhood, but they were new now, as though he had forgotten them before laying eyes on them again.

And this girl liked him, he could tell. He remembered female kindness, how Bounty would treat the youngsters in the Nursery. How some of his playmates there had behaved, precocious in their own way and already forming bonds with one another. Oh, but this was different! His whole body felt deliciously charged as hormones rushed through his bloodstream. This was why he had left! This was living amongst his own kind.

He took the proffered piece of fruit from the spear, giving Infinity a heart-stopping smile before bringing the morsel to his lips and biting into it.

[z-Infinity]

Infinity had come here as a favor to Elspeth, because the nova was a peer and an associate who Infinity had no desire to snub. But it was starting to look like she owed Elspeth a big 'thank you' because she was having a lot of fun. She led him around the tent, explaining what foods she knew about and offering suggestions on what he should try. "And we burn it off," she said, grinning as she held up a stick-thin wafer with a core of hardened caramel and dipped in chocolate, "so I figure, go for the sweet stuff, right?

"This is really new for you, I mean, you haven't really had any of this before," Infinity said smiling as she watched him consume. "You weren't kidding about living wild. Even the Harvesters' kids get to have leave their hidey-hole occassionally and cut loose." Her expression softened with sympathy. "He must have kept you really isolated from the world. I'd hate that, being able to hear of your dad's tales, but kept cooped up somewhere and told it's for your safety."

[Elspeth]

Elspeth looked around at her party and was glad. It was going well and everyone was really enjoying themselves. The volleyball game had been a total blast, she'd had a chance to stretch herself just a little. By the end she was glistening with perspiration, and even the shorts and bikini top were feeling like too much clothing. When PW suggested a swim and stripped heading for the beach, that was all the excuse the young nova needed.

Elspeth walked toward the surf weaving her eufiber. Even in the long shorts and bikini top it had been apparent why they called her the Ivory princess, Alabaster would really have been more appropriate. Her Irish/Scottish heritage was obvious, her skin was pale and even tanned she gleamed in the sunlight. With each step toward the beach the eufiber moved and flowed toward her wrists and ankles leaving her flawless skin bare with only her long red-gold hair as covering. She might not be the most beautiful person present, but something about her commanded the attention of everyone present as she walked regally and calmly toward the water. Being raised by second generation novas had insured that social mores about nudity didn't apply to her and there was no self-consciousness to her at all in the company of novas. Despite her young age it was apparent that she was on her way to becoming a woman and like everything else about her, she exceeded baseline standards. Exactly as her parents had made her.

Once she reached the beach and caught up with PW and Raijin in the water she swam between then and took hold of her mentor's arm. "Hey, watch this. I learned a new trick!" Before the eyes of all present she shot high into the air and as she came down into the surf she had transformed into a mermaid. From the waist down she was no longer human and her scales glinted golden in the sun matching her wet hair. Looking back at the two older nova in the water she called out eagerly, "Lets swim! I hear there's some really beautiful fish around the island."

[Ptesan-Wi]

The water was not at all what Ptesan-Wi was used to; it was a good deal warmer than the lakes of home, and the salt added a bite. The surf was also something new; while she had overflown such before, it had always been something to avoid, not to dive into. Still her smooth body cut through the waves, enjoying the sensation, the mixture of warm sun and blue Caribbean waters.

Raijin's sudden approach was unexpected, and his comment even more so. For a moment, a blush began to creep across her high cheekbones. But then, a memory came unbidden to her: long ago, swimming in a different body of water under cloudless skies, the gift of another majesticaly monsterous god of thunder. As her heart lurched at a loss made fresh once more, she managed a demure, "thank you, Raijin-san," before turning to swim quickly away, back toward the beach.

Her mood was significantly lightened when Elspeth caught her arm as she was almost ready to emerge from the sea, swinging her around to show off her new trick. The transformation was nothing short of stunning... and, as with so many previous students who surpassed what she could ever do, left the psiad feeling a touch of envy. But pride at her student won by a large margin.

The Lakota goddess broke into a laugh. "A wonderous sight, Elspeth! But you would leave me behind with your tail. I will have to find one of my own." She closed her eyes for a moment in concentration. A few seconds later, a dark shape cut through the water toward the beach, a fin cutting through the surface like a knife. As it swept in, Ptesan-Wi caught hold of the fin and whipped around to sit upon the back of a gleaming dolphin. Grinning like a child in a candy shop, the pair tore off after Elspeth.

[Courtney Adams]

He crunched down the caramel wafer with a grin and took a large drink of the punch, enjoying Infinity's company as much as the novel foodstuffs. He felt happy and relaxed around this girl, and so when she made the "cooped up" remark in that sympathetic tone, he was a little incautious.

"Well, I wasn't exactly cooped up." he laughed, picking up a piece of guava drizzled in honey and wolfing it down. "I got to range all over Pangaea; learning to hunt, to fend for myself, how to tell dangerous fruit from safe, and so on. Why, I've even -"

What Phaethon was going to say was left unsaid as he, Infinity and those near them were struck dumb by Elspeth walking down to the water's edge. Her poise and obvious dignity reminded Phaethon of his father for a moment: even unclothed, she was not naked. The spell was broken when she changed into a strange half-fish shape, and Phaethon laughed delightedly as she bobbed and swam away, Ptesan-Wi chasing on dolphin-back. He turned back to Infinity, still chuckling.

"Now that was something to see..." his voice trailed off as he noticed the curious look now in her eyes as she regarded him. "What?"

[Mech]

Connor watches Elspeth's transformation and smiles. It was one he could easily duplicate if he wished, but as it stood he saw no need to really show off. Instead he focused his energies around himself and "flew through the watter after them like a torpedo, catching up and smiling. "That was a beautiful transformation, You've got natural talent it seems."

He gives her one of the smiles with which he'd stolen the hearts of women across America and Watched as Ptesan-wi approached holding onto the back of a dolphin. Hovering half in and out of the ater, he wore the most clothing of anyone in the water with a pair of red and black swim trunks. His phyique was the very picture of perfection, easily on the same level as Phaethon. Almost absentmindedly he remarked, "I can become one, but unfortunately that doesn't confer the ability to truly communicate with and understand them." It was said to no one in particular. It was kind of funny to seem him there basically flying in the water, next to a mermaid, with a Lakota Goddess riding a dolphin approaching. The whole scene illiced a chuckle from him. "This is certainly a nice way to spend a day."

[z-Infinity]

She started to smile as he talked about his freedom, and that smile froze with confusion when he said, "Pangaea." She had no idea where that was and really didn't want to look stupid in front of Phaethon.

Another flash of red by the blue water; this time, it was Elsbeth's red hair catching the sun and her eyes. It wasn't sexual - Infinity wouldn't have handled it very well if she'd found the young nova attractive - but Infinity was caught up staring at her just like everyone else. For a moment, she thought it might have saved her some embarrassment, but she couldn't hide her curiosity about the hot, young nova.

"Wow, I've never met anyone from Pangaea before," she said, trying to laugh it off. "So what's it like? Besides completely wild, since you have to wrestle your food into submission first." She gave him what she hoped was a distracting look, while toying with the top of her bikini top. Maybe he wouldn't notice that she was apparently a big dummy.

[Courtney Adams]

Phaethon's hormonal young mind latched onto Infinity's expression and the fingertips toying with her top. He smiled, guileless himself, he had little natural caution when he decided that he trusted someone. He had found a friend, a girl his age who seemed interested in him.

"It's beautiful." he smiled at her as he ate another slice of guava, licking the honey off his fingers. "The sky there is a sort of golden color, and when the sun sets, it goes blazing white before darkening to night-time. The creatures there are pretty fierce, too. If we weren't novas, I doubt that it'd be possible to live there as we do, without tools or medicines."

He took her hand again and wandered further around the food tent, looking for the next morsel to try. He smiled over at Infinity as they walked. "I wish I could show it to you, Infinity."

It wasn't a pick-up line. It wasn't a polite nicety or small talk. It was a heartfelt statement from the handsome young nova who wished he could share something wonderful with her just to see her smile at the sight.

[Elspeth]

The scuba diving was a total blast, Elspeth had never swum in the ocean before and to do it as a mermaid was just awesome. Underwater races around the coral was the best, dolphin and rider, mermaid, Conner and Raijin. Like the volleyball it wasn't really about winning as much as just the sheer fun of it Elspeth hadn't had this much fun in... she tried to think back. She hadn't had this much fun since her parents took her on safari when she was 9. The three of them had run with the lions, her parents running on foot and El riding a big male holding onto it's main. Her mother had been controlling it of course with her abilities, but that didn't matter. It was the last time that she could remember just having fun without any cares at all.

Surfacing again and floating there enjoying the warm sun on her face she made an effort not to think about the past but just about today. This was as good as it got right here. Friends and and new acquaintances all having fun and for one day at least, not a care in the world.

When the others surfaced Elspeth smiled regally at them, raised hand as if to command them to wait for her very important words, then using her tail sent large splashes of water at their unsuspecting faces. "WATER FIGHT!!!"

[Mech]

Connor took the huge splash with an impish grin. "So that's how it is, is it?"

He swings his arms back and brings them back around with all his strength sending up a curtain of water into the sunlinght, returning fire as it were for the tail splash.

[z-Infinity]

Golden skies... white sunsets? Infinity might be a little uneducated - ok, a lot uneducated - but even she couldn't help but know that this wasn't a description of anything on Earth. He's an alien! Ok, he wasn't, but she always wanted to say that.

His sincerety when he wished that she could see it was heart-warming and Infinity felt a blush creep up her cheeks. She could be as jaded as the next person about almost everything, but matters of the heart were her weakness, mostly because she hadn't had a special someone. She'd had special encounters, but they were short. She wanted to have a partner, but she'd always known that she'd have time before she died to find that someone. Now, her brain was getting muddled with soft thoughts, sweet thoughts that she'd only considered distantly.

His hand was warm in hers as they moved to another table, and she reached out for a chip, dipping it deep into what appeared to be salsa. "This," she warned, "will be probably be hot." She carefully fed him the chip, letting him pull it from her fingers. Facing him, she dropped her hand onto his shoulder and then slipped it down his chest. His openness was making her very bold - and a little dizzy, she acknowledged, as she paused to feel his heart beating under her hand.

[Raijin]

Raijin was a poweful swimmer, yet he lacked the facility of aquatic forms employed by the two women or the direct propulsion of Mech. Nonetheless he enjoyed the resistance provided by the water and he strove to keep up.

Suddenly, a splash of briny salt water hit his face, some of it ending up in his mouth.

Quote:

"WATER FIGHT!!!"

Raijin says nothing as he wipes the water away from his eyes. Instead he gets a wicked gleam in his eye as the other novas give in to Elspeth's mischief. Unfortunatley those who splash water in his direction find it unceremoniously splashed back in their faces. It doesn't take them long however to figure out what is going on and so with a hearty chuckle, Raijin mimics the sweeping gesture used by Mech a moment before. In response a huge waterspout sucks all three other novas along with a torrent of water up into the air.

[NodeSpark]

Originally Posted By: Netherworld

The man grabbed his hand roughly nad squeezed it. Is this how you shake a hand?. He tried to respond in a similar fashion.

Where am I from? American? He knew that they spoke the language of French in the area he first appeared in after his apotheosis. His mother spoke English and French to him as he grew up. Could I have been born in France? As for the American question. He only heard of it in stories and in history books. His mom's paranoia restricted his access to television and movies. She was afraid that they would hurt her son.

"I am from France." It was as good an answer as anything. "I have been to the US once."

"That's cool," Jordan responded to Netherworld. He couldn't hep but pick up the white skinned nova seemed a little bit awkward with the usual social preliminaries. He probably didn't get out too much.

"So...how long have you been a nova...er, or were you born this way? It's been an interesting adjustment for me..."

[Courtney Adams]

She was right in her warning: the dip held a heat that left a tingling burn on Phaethon's lips and tongue. But the burn was cool in comparison the feel of Infinity's hand as it trailed fire down from his shoulder to his bare chest. His heart was thumping under her hand, her nearness and the intimacy of their contact making the blood of the Sun King's heir race. He swallowed slightly.

"So tell me about you." he asked her as he placed one hand over hers. "Where did you grow up? What was that like?" He took a chip, dipping it and bringing it up to her lips with a smile.

[Ptesan-Wi]

As soon as Elspeth yelled her declaration of a waterfight, Ptesan-Wi knew that things could rapidly get out of hand. When Raijin performed a hauntingly familiar act and summoned up a genuine waterspout, she was proven right as she was thrown - dolphin and all - up into the sky.

The Lakota goddess had something of a love-hate relationship with the sky. For her part, she loved it; few things gave her more joy than to soar (if a bit slowly) over the world on her "snowshoe", watching the beauty of all creation roll gently by. But the sky did not suffer her presence with ease; a break in concentration was all it took for a majestic glide to turn into a deadly plummet, and without something she could lift and stand or sit upon, she was every bit as earthbound as mortal man.

Somewhere, a sky god chuckled with cruel delight as, reaching the top of the arc, her and her animal companion began to fall. *Not fall. Dive.* The thought - odd and alien - cut through the threatening panic, and it took a half-second to realize that it came from the sleek sea creature she had called to her on a lark, that she reflexively held onto in terror. *Be close. Hit with nose, not belly.* In mute agreement, Ptesan-Wi wrapped herself tight against the dolphin's back as the creature made a sound not entirely unlike a laugh and plunged straight down toward the sea.

To her shock, hitting the water didn't hurt; the dolphin was designed for it, and clinging flat against the creature allowed her to cut through the water as well. They dove deep together, deeper than the psiad could ever hope to go on her own. Coral flashed past, and a world of colour exploded around her as the dolphin dashed through a massive school of fish even as he dived deeper. Light faded, and at the very bottom of a long arc she felt her toes brush against the silky murk of the sea floor before the dolphin turned into a rapid ascent. Once more the pair cut through a now-terrified mass of colour, the larger taking a quick meal while the smaller watched in stunned amazement. And then, as Ptesan-Wi's lungs felt ready to burst, they broke surface once more in an arcing leap before the dolphin brought his terrestrial passenger back toward the shore.

Still stunned and amazed, Ptesan-Wi did the only thing she could do: she gave the sleek creature one last hug and sent, *My thanks, Dolphin. For showing me your world, for saving my life. Thank you.* With every bit of grace she could muster, she left the dolphin to swim back to see as she walked ashore with new understanding.

[Netherworld]

,,

Quote:

"So...how long have you been a nova...er, or were you born this way? It's been an interesting adjustment for me..."

Mom and dad were like him. They were born without powers. He wondered if the nova standing in front of him worked for Utopia. That group liked his kind of nova, but seemed frightened of ones like Netherworld. If he did work for Utopia, he might have information. It couldn't hurt to try.

"I was born like this." He said, trying his best to not 'space out'. "I am also adjusting." He gave him a smile, revealing teeth as white as his alabaster skin.

Ask him about himself. It was, after all, the main reason he was here: to learn about other people.

""What do you, now that you are a 'Nova'?" He hoped the question didn't come out sounding funny, but he had never thought of himself as a nova. To Netherworld, it was cogito ergo sum. Or more precisely, Netherworld just is.

[Mech]

Th waterspout was a bit much. He knew he could survive it but Elspeth was another story. He quickly found her andtook her in his arms and began flying out of the swirling column of water. He opened his mouth to say something and got a mouth full of seawater.

Once he got out of the spout he set her back in the water, his yellow eyes showing he was mildly irritated. "Sorry to grab you like that, but it would be a shame for the birthday girl to get hurt in a waterspout. My apologies."

[Elspeth]

Elspeth wasn't surprised about the waterspout. Having seen the beautiful demonstration earlier she thought that might result when she splashed him. She was prepared to fly out, but before she could Conner swooped over and took her into his strong arms. She didn't bother to tell him she could fly on her own. She just quietly put her head on his shoulder and enjoyed the ride. After he sat her back in the water and apologized, she just smiled at him mysteriously and said, "Thank you, that was very considerate. Would you like to get some food, all this swimming has made me a little hungry."

She transformed back in to her human self as she headed up to the beach not waiting for Connor. She walked naked out of the surf just ahead of her rescuer, but weaved her eufiber back into a bikini as she moved. Looking back over her shoulder, "So what kind of food do you like?"

[z-Infinity]

I'm going to kiss him, Infinity thought boldly, her heart racing just a bit faster at the thought. She wasn't sure that she could do actually, despite all her brave, mental talk. I'm going to kiss his brains out. All she'd have to do is lean forward and she did a little, her lips parting.

He fed her a chip, and Infinity lost her nerve. Besides, he was asking about her, and it'd be rude to not respond. She chewed and cleared her mouth with a swallow, then said, "Well, I'm from everywhere. My parents never settled down for long. They were always going from place to place, selling their services in exchange for housing, food and partying. They also did stuff for free, if it glorified Mal. They've even met him, once." She tried not to think of that, too much.

"I left them when I was sixteen, kinda settled down more or less in Los Angeles," Infinity said as she spread her fingers across his chest, enjoying the feel of his perfect skin. "Living in LA is like living in any big city... um, well... it's crowded, there are a lot of people always around and it's always noisy. You can find anything you want, though, so that's cool. There's also always a party going on, if you know where to look. It's fun and exciting to live there."

[Ptesan-Wi]

Warm sand once more under her feet, Ptesan-Wi made her way across the beach, grabbing her castaway tunic along the walk and shrugging back into it; as she began to pull her hair back into it's trademark twin braids, the extensive spread of food caught her eye. Nova or not, hunger rumbled its way through her belly, and she couldn't help but quirk a smile. Something I don't have to hunt and cook... this should be novel.

And so it was that she made her way up to where Infinity and Phaethon chatted. Picking one of the decadent chocolate-dipped fruit skewers from the buffet, she smiled at the two as she caught the last bit of the goth-like girl's statement. "I suppose it would be exciting, in its own way. But," she added, "I still prefer the peace of Inyan Kara."

[Courtney Adams]

"My father told me of Inyan Kara." Phaethon smiled radiantly at the petite Lakota woman. "It sounded wonderful, much like where we lived in some ways. He told me also of the cities here, how they contained some of the best and the worst of what humanity has to offer. They sounded exciting, too." The young nova lightly squeezed Infinity's hand, and he beamed at both women.

"There's so much to see here. So much I've only heard about. At least I've landed on my feet, meeting friends on my first outing." He grinned and ran his free hand through his drying hair, his emerald eyes shining. "Have you two met before?"

[z-Infinity]

Ptesan-Wi's presence was completely unwelcome, but Infinity took it in stride. Well, not completely in stride; Phaethon's reaction to the tunic-garbed woman was gratifying in its neutrality, but Infinity wasn't that confident yet. Still, she managed a smile instead of a stiff frown.

"Oh, I only know Ptesan-Wi though reputation," Infinity said with a smile. "Hi, I'm Infinity," she said to the woman, giving her a nod. "We've spoken online briefly. It's nice to met you in person, though. That's been the best part of this party. Meeting people." She gave Phaethon a meaningful smile, leaving no doubt which people she meant.

"Are you having as much fun as we are?" Infinity asked Ptesan-Wi, curling her free arm around Phaethon's waist and giving him a little squeeze. Her expression carried a mild warning to the other woman - nothing too extreme, but Infinity made sure the perceptive nova knew that Infinity had already made her claim.

[Mech]

Connor nodded. "My Pleasure." He watches her reemerge on the beach and thankfully at least wear some form of bathing suit. He trotted up behind her. "Seafood mostly, but i game for anything. Do you have any suggestions?"

[Ptesan-Wi]

The Indian woman returned Infinity's smile with one every bit its equal in warmth and warning. "I'm having a wonderful time, yes. And it's nice to meet you as well, Infinity. Your own reputation preceeds you as well.

"Of course, once the day is done here, it's back to business. Which reminds me, Phaethon: when we leave, do you want to fly to Inyan Kara and see the lands as we pass, or would you rather enlist the aid of one of the warpers present?"

[Courtney Adams]

Phaethon, though he was inexperienced and naive to some of the finer points of interpersonal skills, was neither dim nor unperceptive. Thus it was he had started to realise some undercurrent to the conversation. Pleasantly distracted by Infinity's arm around him and her bikini-clad form against his body as he was, he nevertheless caught a tail-end of the hidden communication between her and Ptesan-Wi. Am I doing something wrong? Are they enemies? he wondered, then wondered why two enemies would even be at the same party together. Giving a mental shrug, he decided that whatever the friction here was, it was not enmity as such. He smiled at the beautiful woman his father had told him to trust.

"Well, I'd like to see the lands, but the warper would mean we could stay here longer." He smiled down at Infinity, wrapping his free arm around her in return, then back at Ptesan-Wi. "Also, I'm not sure how far it is or exactly how to get there." His handsome young face went a little serious. "I also heard that sometimes the humans get scared of novas crossing their 'airspace'." He said this last with a bemused tone, as if the concept of territoriality over the sky was a funny one to him.

"There's a lot I need to learn about this place. I know that's one reason my father sent me to you, Ptesan-Wi." He chuckled, a little embarrassed. "I feel like some half-wild animal trying to figure out an automobile. I'm just glad that not everyone here is going to judge me by the impressions left by my father. That'd make things harder still." He gave Infinity a gentle squeeze, enjoying the feel of his arm around her waist for reasons he wasn't terribly sure of.

[z-Infinity]

Infinity could honestly say at this moment that she didn't give a shit about who or what Procyon had been. Whether that had been true an hour ago wasn't important. What was important keeping Phaethon from the cougar.

"You guys can totally stay longer," Infinity assured them. "I have a warper here with me, and he can pop you right back to Inyan Kara when we're ready to go. Or," she turned her head while speaking and giving Phaethon a smile, "anywhere you want to stay while here. You don't have to stay in a cave; I'm sure you've already done enough." She rubbed the hand wrapped around his waist up and down, making sure she put enough pressure behind it that it wasn't ticklish. "Running water and electricity are amazing luxuries."

She glanced at Ptesan-Wi. "Besides, in the city, I can show you the things that novas our age do. Parties, sight-seeing and lots of other novas to meet and share experiences with - Inyan Kara is beautiful, but you've already done the living in the wild thing already. Try city life for a while."

[Courtney Adams]

Phaethon was torn. He wanted to go to Los Angeles with Infinity. He wanted to see the sights and meet other novas, as well as go to parties, though he didn't know how different they could get from this one, knowing as little of "walking on the wild side" as he did.

On the other hand, he had promised to return with Ptesan-Wi to Inyan Kara. Not just to her, but to his father. Not only that, but her emotional outburst on their first meeting had made an impression on the young nova. His father had told him that Ptesan-Wi was a composed and centered woman, so she must be under some strain to act as she had. He bit his lower lip and gave Infinity an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, Infinity. Ptesan-Wi is a friend of my father's and one of the few people here that he trusts. I've got a lot of things to talk over with her, and messages to deliver from Procyon. Also, I imagine that plunging into life in a human city would be somewhat... chaotic for me? Inyan Kara, with the Lakota reservation around it, is probably the best place for me to acclimatise." He looked into her eyes, hoping that she wouldn't be offended.

"But I promise to come to L.A. and sample city life as soon as I've got my footing here, and understand a little more about the sort of trouble I can get into." This last was delivered with an impish grin and a friendly squeeze of his bronzed arm around her. "And besides, there's the rest of this party to share, too."

[Ptesan-Wi]

Try as she may, Ptesan-Wi couldn't help but be impressed with the power play that Mal's "Future" was running. Stunning disappointment to the Teragen or no, Infinity was altogether capable of exploiting at least this social situation... and Ptesan-Wi's years of isolation didn't help matters.

That didn't mean, of course, that she was anything close to conceeding.

"A warp sounds perfect; it is over two thousand miles to home, which is a long flight for anyone. You will have plenty of time to see the sights. And I cannot think of a reason in the world why the first of those sights after the Black Hills should not be the lands between there and Los Angeles.

"It has been far, far too long since I have travelled. This is my first real excursion in years. And there are many of my People in the Southwestern states. Yes, I think that a nice, leisurely trip would be in order after a brief stay at Inyan Kara. It would be a great opportunity for you to see some of the wonders of the land. How does that sound to you, Phaethon?"