maskormenacelogs | Welcome all youth imPorts, to a chance to mingle.

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Welcome all youth imPorts, to a chance to mingle.

WHO: Ruby, Tina, open to all.
WHERE: A non-public beach not far from Heropa
WHEN: June 8th
WHAT: Beach party! Beach party! And an attempt to give imPort youth a chance to interact.
WARNINGS: None so far.

It was a fairly nice day at the beach not too far from Heropa, the temperature not too high yet, and the humidity fairly good for Florida. The beach itself wasn’t huge, looking (and being) the type that a well-off couple would rent out for events because they didn’t really care for the sand themselves, but it was big enough for a party and it had a fire pit with kindling and so-on ready to be lit come sundown.

Food tables and a decent sized grill were set up at good positions along the beach, the tables shielded from the sun by tents. Like she’d mentioned on the network, there was a decent splay of food. Chips, vegetables (both grilled and not), soda, fruit, juice, and more was all available. There were coolers with cheese, ice, and condiments. But the crowning jewel of this modest endeavor was the burgers.

Tina had brought her usual flair to the beach, offering her pun-a-licious burgers to the masses. Top of the menu was ‘My Aim Is Bleu’, a burger topped with blue cheese. Second was ‘Goat of many colours’, goat cheese being a primary feature of the burger. Ending the trio of specialty burgers was the ‘Meat The Beet-les’, repping pickled beets. And of course, all three were available in both vegetarian and 100% beef.

Around the rest of the beach there were a number of areas to sunbathe, or to relax under worn beach umbrellas. There was an area set aside for people to dance to the pop music that blared out of a solar-powered radio not far from the food.

A little closer to the water there was an area that was absolutely intended for the water fights, sand-built cover all over the ‘field’, and a variety of water guns placed neatly on some sheets nearby to that. Bins full of water balloons (made of a biodegradable substance instead of rubber, so no one had to feel bad if it fell into the ocean!) dotted the landscape, only a few hidden behind cover so that most people would have to leave cover in order to get more ammunition. To the educated eye it might be easy to tell that this ‘arena’ had been set up by someone with target practice.

The last real area of note was a simple volleyball court fairly far from both the water and the dance area, with three balls nearby in weathered bins. It looked almost quaint compared to the water battle area, but it had been placed very well so that people could watch without having to worry too much about any stray balls smacking them in the face while they sunbathed.

All in all, it wasn't bad for someone's first foray into party planing.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

By the time the start of the party rolls around Ruby is running on caffeine. Either that or she is just the sort who can't stay still. She goes from area to area making sure everything is working the way it's supposed to, heading to the parking lot every so often to pay for anyone's fares, and then coming back.

After about an hour of being the human incarnation of 'the flight of the bumblebee' she calms down and starts talking with people, walking up to groups and loners alike. "Hey there. How are you enjoying everything? Do you need anything?"

She occasionally goes to grab some food and even takes a seat every so often, happily joining in on conversations where she seems welcome, and maybe sometimes where she only thinks she's welcome. It's not uncommon for her to start asking questions, most common among them being "Do you like dogs?" Even if it isn't the most relevant question to be had.

More than once she can be seen on both the volleyball field and the water-battle field, joining in the fun and showing that despite having to wear glasses to function she is an excellent shot with both forms of water-based ammunition.

Every so often she heads on to the field not to partake in the fight, but to repair the sand-castle cover, more often than not intentionally putting herself between her construction and any projectiles sent her way. If one were to come up to her and try to speak she'd give them a small smile. "Hey, could I ask for your help?" she'd ask.

When it's a little before sunset it looks like here energy has started to fade, but not too much for her to start the bonfire and to pull out the (thankfully unmelted) chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows for s'mores. She even brings a whole bunch of sticks she personally chose from the forests for the marshmallow roasting.

Once it seems like everything is done for the night and people have gone their own way, she starts to put things away and pick up any lingering trash. She looks like she could very well use some help in the endeavor. Though, with how tired she looks this could also be a perfect time for some mischief...

Naturally, Archie kept his distance for this entire thing. It was for people Ruby's age, not him. His presence was only to give her some peace of mind should anything happen to anyone; he spent most of his time sitting with Mightyena and Crobat, watching a couple movies on his comm while keeping an eye out for anyone that might actually be in trouble, as he was essentially hired to do. Seems like it was a relatively good evening for those that came, all told. There weren't even many people trying to sneak pictures!

When it winds down, Archie does the responsible adult thing and starts helping to pick up the trash, shooting her a concerned glance.

"You look awful tired, Ruby. Go take a break, I'll finish up all this."

She smiles and waves her hand dismissively. "I have to stay until this is all handled, anyway. So it would be great if we could work together instead. It'll get the work done faster, which means I'll get to crash sooner."

Ruby laughs a little. "This was definitely a learning experience, and next time I'm going to put a nap on my schedule."

As if to illustrate, she yawns, then pushing up her glasses so she can get the water out of her eyes.

"If you're sure," he says, not willing to argue with her. She knows herself best, after all. "Maybe next time don't stay up all night planning, huh?" he ribs lightly.

She grins at his reply. "Hey now. I wasn't planning all night. I was setting up all night. Toooootally different." She says this with a laugh in her voice. "In reality, what I should have done was get some people to help me set up. I got up earlier than usual," two AM, "to start setting things up, took a break in the morning so I could go to a group meeting I attended in the past, then came straight back here."

No wonder the kid was tired. Even if she'd woken up at 6AM she'd been up and active for well over 12 hours.

He clicks his tongue, clearly not satisfied with the response.

"Well, I suppose that sort of thing is needed for a day like this," says the guy that's usually also active for well over 12 hours on about as much sleep. Idiots be that way. "'Least there ain't too much to pick up now. You should be home within an hour."

"That's a relief. I think I've been awake around twenty hours, and I am looking forward to getting some sleep. I've done much, much longer nights, while in worse shape than I am now, so, don't think I'm a light-weight who needs to sleep a lot, but I like having the option to sleep at least once every day." She sounds so very relieved.

"Definitely worth the time though. I learned a lot, and think I can improve with the next event I set up. For one thing, probably have backup plans in case someone else runs a similar event before I've had the chance to do mine." She laughs, and it's very good natured. In all honesty, she'd used Darin's beach party both as it was intended, and as a way to figure up how things would be set up in reality rather than just on a computer screen. It had been a blessing in disguise as far as she was concerned.

"Ruby," he says, sounding a little genuinely upset. "I would never think of you as a lightweight just because you need to perform a basic biological function so you don't collapse!"

He genuinely couldn't tell if she was being serious as he ties up his garbage bag.

"Well, still, I think the people that came had a good time. That's all you can really do these days."

"You never know!" Her tone is absolutely defensive. "I used to be able to do a lot more stuff on a lot less sleep." Her voice then becomes a bit of a mumble for a little. "It just... Well it sort of stopped being something I could do as easily when I didn't need to do it all the time. I don't know what's normal. I just know what I've been capable of in the past, and what comes less easily now..."

She was absolutely being serious.

After a moment of silence, she continues, this time switching back to the second topic. "That's one of the goals, so I think I came out a winner in this whole thing." Her volume is back to a proper level now, at least.

Archie saunters over to get another bag from near where Ruby is, looking at her with concern. His voice is gentle; "Ruby, I'm not judging you for anything. I promise. I just hope you can get more rest while you're here. Don't worry about normal-- that's a concept that's different for everyone."

He lets it go when she does, though.

"No kiddin'. Did you play any games with people? I was only really paying attention to whoever went into the surf."

She's surprised, both by his gentleness, and by the fact that he's not trying to push an idea of normal on to her. This reaction seems too good to be true, but at the same time, she doesn't file it away as bullshit. She decides to simply keep watching to see if this is the way he usually is.

Eventually, she speaks up again.

"I played the games multiple times. I'm not much for going into the water, but playing with the water battle field? That was really my sort of thing. And I got in more volleyball practice."

He knows from experience there's no point to it-- besides, Archie hardly follows traditional norms himself! It would be hypocritical.

Laughing brightly, "Rea-ally? That's good to hear! Somethin' worth pursuing, huh?"

She grins at that. "Absolutely. I'm not great at it yet, but definitely something I enjoy. It's also a more socially acceptable way to get in some athletics than climbing in the park." Beat. "Not that I'm going to stop doing that." There is more than a little mischievous glee in her voice as she says this. Ruby likes her odd hobbies.

"Pssh. S'not like it's illegal or nothin'," he says, raising a hand to his face to hide another little smile. So precocious!

That gets a laugh out of her. "True. But people stare and act all weird. And that was before it got out that I was an imPort." She doesn't seem all that bothered. "Not that them just staring causes me any problems. And sometimes I get the chance to confuse the hell out of anyone who tries to question things."

Ruby smiles fondly, remembering the look on an old lady's face when she said she was climbing a large tree in order to commune with the squirrels. There were just some things money couldn't buy.

Tina was glad to take this opportunity to relax a little after her move... and by "relax", of course, she cooked and played and exhausted herself. Not that she minded- it had been a long few months, and it was good to cut loose.

First she minded the grill, clad in tank top and shorts, with a large oversized sun hat on. In addition to her burger creations, she'd found a recipe for grilled pineapple she was dying to try, offering to slip it on top of any burger for more adventrous eaters.

Otherwise, she can be found showing off her water manipulation powers, using them to toss balloons, repel attacks, and generally get soaked and full of sand.

They say the quickest way to a man's heart is with his stomach. That might as well be true to a survivor like Carl, who was always been a little food orientated ever since he's been living on his own for a while.

He approached the grill of the party, looking on with mild interest. "Your burgers smell pretty good," he admitted.

Tina smiled at the boy- he looked to be around her age, maybe a little younger- and nodded toward a nearby table.

"Help yourself," she offered. "My superpower means any food I cook tastes really well, so I hope there's something there you'd like to try."

"That's a handy power. " Better than his own power. World needs better cooks, not walking dead men. He looked at the menu, noticing the puns. "Nice names for the burgers too. How about the, uh, Goat of Many Colors Burger?"

He looks around. It's a modest gathering of people like them. "It's kinda nice to have a place for kids like us."

"Thanks," Tina replies proudly, reaching into her cooler and assembling the requested burger- patty, goat cheese and all. "I grew up working in my dad's burger restaurant, so I picked up the habit from him. He had a different special every day and tried giving them a punny name."

She offers him the plate, nodding.

"I didn't have a lot of people my age around when I first got here," she replies. "And I'm sometimes not the best at making friends. I'd hate for anyone to be lonely."

"I seen a couple when I got here," Carl said. Although he had not gotten back to them so soon, since at the time he was still in shock. "Though I haven't seen them lately."

Although he can't say he's lonely. Homesick is the better term, strange as it is.

"Well, this party is a good idea, in any case."

"I like it because I feel more... normal, I guess," Tina confesses. "I came from a pretty uncomplicated world. No superpowers or anything like that. I worked in my parents' restaurant and went to school and hung out with my siblings. Here, well... I'm not exactly a superhero, but my life has changed in so many ways. But when we have a simple party like this, it's a chance to just be a kid again."

"Yeah, same." Except not really. Carl once had a simple life, a life he can barely remember if he's honest with himself, but for now he's not really interested in talking about his life history. "I'm not a superhero either, and it's kind of a lot to take in when I first showed up. But I like the simple stuff too."

"It is, isn't it?" Tina sighs. "I got lucky and had a lot of help, at least... and the government does what they can."

Now, of course, there were further complications- though Tina tries to remain as uninvolved as possible, she knows that eventually, it's possible she and her loved ones will be affected by the OTO.

"But I feel like we should try and look out for each other, too. I guess it's the part of me that misses my younger siblings- I need someone to mother hen."

Carl barely understands what is going on with OTO, let alone really caring about it. He should by rights, but it's difficult to get into politics when he's so used to more immediate dangers like sickness or the walking dead.

"I have a little sister." Whom he thought was dead, until Negan told him otherwise. "I miss her too."

It hurts to even think about her, despite her not being dead. "So how do you handle it?"

"I have a brother and a sister," Tina says fondly. "My brother's 11 and my sister is 9. We've always been together, ever since they were born."

She's then quiet as she considers his question, scooping a piece of pineapple onto a plate for herself.

"I keep busy," she finally replies. "Like... I've done some volunteering at the Youth Center in Maurtia Falls. Nothing stops me from missing my family entirely, but doing things to help other kids helps scratch that big-sibling itch a little."

"Judith is only a couple of months old." How she survived the prison attack, Carl has no idea.

He fiddles with the plate she gave him, his burger starting to cool. He takes several bites out of it. "This is really good. Maybe you can teach cooking in that Youth Center."

"So she's much younger than you," Tina muses. Technically, she was now 6 years apart from Louise and 4 years from Gene, and not 4 and 2 like she should have been... but it was different, not having grown up with that age gap. "I remember when Louise was that small- but of course, my parents did most of the work taking care of her. I was still a bit too little to help."

She smiles at the compliment, however, and nods.

"I'm moving back there from Heropa soon- I really want to get back to doing that. Cooking is a skill that some kids just don't learn, but it can make a difference."

Kids in Maurtia Falls, she knew, sometimes had to look after younger siblings or relatives on their own. Anything to make their lives easier was something she was determined to do.

[ So. Yet another beach party. Thanks, Catra hates it.

And yet, there's free food, and when does she ever say no to that? She'll just have to be extra vigilant in case anyone tries to drag her into the water.

She takes a blanket to lie down on and a towel this time, just in case. She mostly sunbathes and eats and makes sure to stay faaaaar away from the water.

Occasionally, however, she will also take out her sketchbook and try her hand at drawing; mostly cartoony things, and bad attempts at it at that. It's not going too great. ]

[ Eventually, Ruby comes over to where she's hanging out. She noticed Catra fairly early on, but had to see to a few things to keep the party running smoothly before she could seek her out. Now though, she has some time for some conversation. ]

Hey! Glad to see you!

[ Catra is sunbathing, which is not as comfortable as it sounds when you're covered in skintight clothing, but it'll do. Like hell is she gonna don one of those "bikinis". When she hears someone approach, she opens her blue eye to squint up at Ruby. ]

Yeah? Good for you.

[ She can't help but grin a little at that. Yeah, she walked right into that comment. ]

How do you like the food? Anything stand out?

[ Catra is not usually one to show appreciation, but... perhaps she can deign to give an honest food critique. ]

Darin's barbecue was better, but the burgers are pretty good.

[ She nods at that. ]

I agree on both. Is there anything you'd like to see from a future event like this? Whatever I set up next won't be at a beach, but I've not figured out where it'll be instead.

[ Catra just shrugs. ]

I don't know, I'm just here for the food.

[ That gets a laugh. ]

I'll make sure the next thing has food, too. Got any favourites?

[ A toothy grin. ]

Sushi. Sushi is my favorite.

A good choice. Not sure that's something that'll be appropriate for most get togethers, but if I can make it work at one in the future, I will.

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Welcome all youth imPorts, to a chance to mingle.

Ruby Nakamura | OTA

later on

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Tina Belcher | OTA

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Catra | OTA

Re: Catra | OTA

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