The afternoon sun hung low over the water, casting a golden shimmer across the waves that rolled in with a lazy, hypnotic rhythm. The sand stretched in a wide crescent, pale and soft, still warm from the day's heat. A salt-tinged breeze carried the scent of grilled meat and charred vegetables from Eliane's barbecue, mingling with the coconut sweetness of nearby palms.
Aurélie stood waist-deep in the water, her silver hair slicked back, her expression hovering somewhere between concentration and mild offense. She had faced down monsters, survived ambushes, and killed men with a single cut of Anathema. But swimming? Swimming was apparently a different beast entirely.
Celeste Tenko floated beside her, her sleek silver bob somehow still perfect despite the water, her doe-like eyes patient and encouraging. "Um," she said, her voice soft, "it is better if you push the water from under your palms."
Aurélie frowned at her own hands, as if they had personally betrayed her. "I am pushing."
Ember, meanwhile, was engaged in a war with the ocean itself. She thrashed and splashed with wild abandon, her neon-pink space buns dripping, her mismatched eyes gleaming with manic joy. Her technique—if it could be called that—consisted entirely of slapping the water as hard as possible and shrieking with laughter each time it splashed back in her face.
Vesta stood nearby, her rainbow hair plastered to her skull, Mikasi in its coyote form paddling in lazy circles around her. She watched Ember with the expression of someone trying to teach a cat to play piano.
"No, you have to move your hands and legs under the water," Vesta called out, gesturing with her own arms. "Like this, see?"
Ember responded by splashing her directly in the face.
Vesta sputtered.
Sanza, in his human form, cut through the water with surprising grace. His red hair was slicked back, and his small arms moved in steady, measured strokes. He beamed as he swam past Ember, clearly proud of himself.
"You mean like this?" he asked, demonstrating a textbook-perfect breaststroke.
Vesta nodded, wiping water from her eyes. "Yeah! That's right!"
Aurélie watched him with narrowed eyes. "I thought this would be more of a challenge."
Vesta cocked her head, genuinely confused. "Really? Why?"
Celeste smiled, treading water with effortless ease. "It can be quite fun the more you practice. You learn to move with the water instead of against it."
Aurélie considered this, then attempted another stroke. Her form was stiff, almost military—but it was, technically, swimming.
Progress.
The sound of thundering footsteps announced the arrival of new swimmers. Penguin and Shachi charged down the beach, shedding clothes as they went. Shirts flew. Shoes tumbled. Penguin nearly tripped over a discarded boot.
"Are you guys practicing swimming?" Penguin called out, his voice bright with enthusiasm.
Shachi, already ankle-deep, yelled, "We're really good swimmers! We can help!"
Vesta waved them over. "Yeah! Come on! The water is great!"
They dove in, sending twin plumes of spray into the air.
Further up the beach, Riggs Cohen walked alongside Jax Boone, his shaggy blond hair falling into his eyes, his Hawaiian shirt unbuttoned and flapping in the breeze. He was mid-sentence about something—something Jax was clearly not listening to—when he spotted the group in the water.
His eyes went wide.
"Where are you—" Jax started.
Riggs yanked his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. His katana, Gullwing, hit the sand with a soft thump. He was already running.
"I'm getting in!"
Jax shook his head, watching Riggs kick up sand in his wake. "Yeah. Alright."
---
Eliane stood guard over the barbecue with the fierce determination of a general defending a fortress. Her silver hair was tied back, focused on the task at hand, monitoring the grill so nothing gets over-charred. She held a spatula like a weapon, flipping skewers with practiced precision.
Jelly wiggled in place, his translucent blue body locked onto a particularly juicy piece of meat. He crouched. He calculated. He pounced.
Eliane swung the spatula without looking.
The flat of the blade caught Jelly mid-air and sent him sailing backward. He landed in a gelatinous splat, stars circling above his head.
Eliane glared down at him, her spatula raised. "You are going to have to do better than that!"
"Righto!"
Eliane's expression shifted instantly. Her glare melted into a bright grin as she spotted Jannali walking up the beach, Bō-Zak and Kaburo flanking her. Jannali's headscarf was wrapped neatly over her afro, her golden hoop earrings glinting.
"Your back!" Eliane bounced on the balls of her feet.
Jannali waved, her accent thick and warm. "Nah, yeah, we're gasin' for a feed!"
Eliane beamed. "Good! It's almost ready!" She gestured with her spatula at the spread. "We have meat skewers, potatoes, pineapple, fish fillets, and corn!"
Bō-Zak rubbed his stomach, his kiseru pipe clenched between his teeth. "Geez, kid. Looks like you're feeding an army."
Eliane's grin widened. "I am!" She waved her spatula at the beach. "Look at all the people!"
Kaburo's dark eyes swept across the crowd. "I did not expect so many."
Jannali picked up a skewer, scanning the beach with a practiced eye. "There's a fair few people here." She took a bite, chewing thoughtfully.
Kaburo's eyes move across the beach, "what are their intentions, I wonder?"
Bō-Zak clapped Kaburo on the shoulder with one hand and snagged a skewer with the other. "Don't stress over it! Just enjoy the—"
His eyes landed on a fair-haired woman reading under a palm tree.
He started walking.
Jannali watched him go, shaking her head. "No surprises there."
An eye blinks from Gosan, in its spear form, when it sensed the food. The Hatzegopteryx's massive head materialized, its neck curving around to sniff at the grill.
Jannali jumped. "Bloody hell!"
Eliane giggled, utterly unfazed. "You hungry too?"
Gosan squawked, its massive beak opening wide. Eliane grabbed a handful of raw fish and tossed it into the air. Gosan snapped its jaws shut around the offering and swallowed with a satisfied rumble.
Jelly saw his opportunity.
While everyone was distracted by the giant prehistoric bird, the gelatinous creature launched himself at the grill. He landed directly on the hot grate with a wet sizzle, screeched, grabbed a skewer, and hopped off—his hands and feet smoking.
Eliane snapped, "Jelly!"
"That'll teach ya," Jannali called out, grinning as she watch the gelatinous creature attempt to shake the burn from its hands and feet.
A low hiss cut through the air as Kaburo reached for a skewer. Kalamaru's three serpentine heads materialized, hissing with hunger, their obsidian scales gleaming in the firelight.
Eliane squeaked in surprise, then giggled. "Looks like everyone is hungry!" She glanced at the heads. "Did they forget to feed you?"
Kalamaru hissed.
Kaburo's voice was dry. "He only comes out when you cook."
Eliane beamed. "Really?" She looked at the three heads, each one hissing with anticipation. "You like it that much?"
Kalamaru hissed again.
Gosan snapped at one of the heads.
Jannali cursed. "Bloody hell!"
Eliane giggled, already reaching for more fish. "It's okay! We have plenty!"
A soft yelp drew her attention downward. Mikasi, in its coyote form, sat at her feet, covered in sand and seawater, its tongue lolling.
Jannali's brow furrowed. "You look like a cinnamon donut."
Eliane laughed, tossing a fish into the air. "Here you go!"
Mikasi leaped, snatched the fish mid-flight, and bolted back toward the water where Vesta was still swimming.