maskormenacelogs | [OPENish] ~LIFE NEEDS MORE BEACHES & BONFIRES~

WHO: Josuke, Kaneki, Hazel, Annie, Hide, Reiner, Usagi, Jolyne, Giorno and possibly Hisoka
WHERE: Cape Canaveral Beach
WHEN: Saturday Night, February 7th
WHAT: BONFIRE! BOOZE! ROASTED MARSHMALLOWS! ...skinny dipping?
WARNINGS: Teenagers. Shenanigans. Probably mentions of nudity. TBA IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE!
NOTES: More or less OPEN? I mean, if one of the above characters would have or did invite yours (talk to the muns!) then please come join us! Opener's in prose, but feel free to use whatever works the best!

They'd come from their homes to the military base in Cape Canaveral, and that was where they'd agreed upon meeting one another.

The plan from thereon in was simple. (Maybe too simple to start with—Josuke had originally under planned, after all—but thanks to some helpful 'intervention' things were on course and running smoothly.) A hop, skip, and a jump away was the beach, but in order to be sure they were appropriately distanced from military property, those who were able and willing were to visit the garage and borrow vehicles that could be used to usher their small group a little ways down the coastline.

And by the time they had all arrived at the designated location—an end of the beach decorated with bits of driftwood and only a very light dappling of footprints—the sky was already beginning to darken. The bands of color that had once streaked the horizon like the layers of a sedimentary rock were now fading to a beautiful blue-grey monochrome; the rippling waves looked less like glimmering silk and more like impenetrable velvet; and the sun was barely a glowing sliver, minutes away from disappearing entirely behind the skyline.

It was cool, but not cold, and as the fire was struck, as it reached brightly skyward, flames dancing and crackling, warmth soon began to fan outward.

Around the bonfire were blankets and towels for people to sit on. There were snacks of all kinds: marshmallows, chocolate, graham crackers, chips, and hot dogs—and there were skewers with which to stab several of these foods. There was a volleyball, too, pairs of binoculars, someone's media player and headphones, and a small cooler full of drinks on ice: water, some selections of soda, and of course...the alcohol. In short, everything anyone calling themselves a 'teenager' might need to cut loose on a Saturday night.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oi, oi...you want me to throw you next? How about a little bit of encouragement? It's not like it can hurt anything, especially if you don't think I can do it.

Well, I'm about as aerodynamic as that last toss...[she starts laughing again, but collects herself a little more quickly this time.]

But sure, I'll give you all the good luck I've got.

[because, you know, she's such a lucky person. Hazel grins cheekily at him before shoving her fingers in her mouth to produce an impressively loud whistle which is followed up by some facetiously energetic cheering. someone's obviously having a good time here.]

Go go go! You kick that ocean's ass!

...that's more like it.

[He doesn't care if the cheering is cheeky and utter bullshit, it's cute and it gets him pumped.

Tossing the rock up and down in his hand, he gets a feel for it before turning to face the water again.]

You're having fun, right? Hanging out with all of us?

[With him?]

I wouldn't still be here if I wasn't, no matter how much I like you.

[there's a lot more truth in this statement than Hazel probably realizes. ever since she'd been resurrected, her reaction to any problem that personally involved her was to run. she can't even deal with herself - how the hell was she supposed to grapple with something else thrown on top of that? it was easier to just keep running.

her smile quiets down a little, and although there's still a healthy amount of playfulness around the edges she gives a more sincere answer now.]

No, this is nice. Everyone's just hanging out and being stupid, you don't have to worry about anything worse than sand in your swim trunks. It's...normal.

...can I tell you a secret?

[she looks up at the sudden question before nodding, teasing gone from her face.]

Yeah, sure. I won't tell.

It made me really happy when you said it felt "normal".

[Not much of a secret, but it's true. Although, the secret part is...he doesn't want her blabbing this around. He's got a tough exterior to uphold! ...right. because he's such a tough guy.]

Seriously.

I've...been missing home a lot lately. Missing getting to do all the stupid shit I did with my friends. Missing my friends. But having made new ones here...I'm really glad we can do this. That it's not all government this and war that and be a hero!

We can just...be ourselves.

[He lets the rock in hand curve to his index finger before flicking it out across the water.

One, two, three...skips! Four! Five...! Aaannnddd....under. Not bad though, not bad!]

That was really good! Try and snap your wrist a little faster next time.

[genuine encouragement and advice! maybe you should tell her not-really-embarrassing at all secrets more often. Hazel smiles and digs her toes into the sand a little bit before addressing the more central topic.]

But, um. You did a really good job with this. For a little while I actually...forgot, about me. And that probably sounds really awful because this is about you right now, but I mean.

[she purses her lips, digging her toes into the beach a little deeper. damn, did her ability to phrase emotions die with the rest of her those ten years ago?]

We're all missing something. But we're all here now, so it's...ok. We can fill in the blanks for each other until we go home.

[did that help? did she sound like an asshole? whatever, it came from her nonexistent heart all the same. Hazel starts stacking up the remaining pebbles into a little pyramid so that she has something to look at that isn't her conversation partner.]

Or whatever.

It's not about me, dumbass, it's about us.

[He goes for another rock, slippery and slender, before returning to his spot in the sand, marked by his rather large footprints.]

But now I feel bad. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything? 'Cause now you're not forgetting and neither am I and shit's serious...

[He flashes a grin at her over her shoulder.]

Quick, say something! Anything! First thing that comes to mind!

[...and yeah, her words help. But Josuke doesn't really see it as "filling the blanks". The friendships he's forming here are just as real to him as the ones back home. He wonders if Hazel feels the same? But it's okay if she doesn't. He's just glad they have this time. He wants to make the most of it.]

[it's probably not something he should ask about, because the answer is a lot sadder than anything he's thought of - she's assuming that's what she is to most people, or what she'll inevitably become. what she'll have to be, if she wants to keep up this pretend game she's playing with her own life.

thankfully these thoughts aren't crossing her own mind at all. instead she extends her legs, running more sand over them as she pushes grooves into the beach, and gives him a facetiously thoughtful look.]

If you don't end up with food poisoning after tonight I'm going to be really surprised.

[she may not have eaten anything, but she sure as hell has been watching everyone else eat. and you truly have the tastebuds of a growing teenage boy, Josuke.

the fact that this is the first thing that comes to her mind is probably commentary on how much of a foodie being unable to consume anything has turned her into. that or the concept of a marshmallow hot dog is still haunting her, which is waaaay more likely. that was a nightmare in and of itself.]

[Maybe they can talk more about serious things some other night. For now, though? Josuke really is determined to try and keep things fun. For Hazel's sake mostly; she deserves the lightness and normalcy.

Which happens to come with teenage banter.]

If I do and I wind up getting sick, will you hold back my hair?

[Not that his concoctions earlier were that bad! ...but maybe mixing them with alcohol at all will produce some undesirable effects later on?

Oh well! Taste buts of a teenage boy, and the iron stomach to boot! He'll be just fine.]

[the banter works like a charm - she laughs, shaking her head emphatically. her tone is playful, though, because let's be real if he ever started barfing she'd totally hold his hair and find a hair tie for it and everything.]

How am I supposed to do that? Sit in front of you and push it up?

[OPENish] ~LIFE NEEDS MORE BEACHES & BONFIRES~

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