Angela
November 29th, 2007. 10:42 a.m. The beach. I dunno which beach, but it looks way nicer than the beach my family went to back home. Maybe it’s a rich person beach? Hard to say. All I know is that I saw like five tattoo parlors in the past ten minutes, burgers cost $12, and every other store is a yoga place, swimsuit shop, or a liquor store. The houses we’re driving by look expensive as all hell. I feel richer just by looking at them. Can’t see any syringes or broken glass in the sand either. Okay. Nevermind. I’m an idiot. Yeah. This is a rich person beach. Feels good to be here. I earned this after this hell of a quarter. I’m going to live it up. The second that bounty hits my account, I’m gonna… actually, I never thought what I’d do with all that money. I never thought I’d have more than $100 to my name. I could do so much… Come on, Angie. You gotta go all out. Maybe… maybe have expensive pizza. No, come on. You can think higher than that. Uhhh… maybe start a game collection? Wait! No! You fool! I’ll commission artists to draw me porn doujins of my OCs! Haha! Yes! That’s perfect! I’ll invest some of my riches into porn! Fashion comes and goes, money fluctuates in worth, but humanity’s always gonna have a need for weird pornography.
As for the beach… we’ve been jammed in this parking lot for the last twenty minutes. Just driving around waiting for someone to leave. If one more person steals our spot, I’m afraid Josh is gonna cap someone. I mean if it came to that, I wouldn’t stop him. Stealing a parking spot is an unwritten crime in society. You just don’t do it. “Ey, Josh. There’s a car pulling out on the right.”
Josh instantly shifts into reverse and just barely manages to miss bumping into the guy behind us.
“Jeez, Josh!” Sejong leans forward from the backseat and clutches her neck. “Watch it…”
“Aw, don’t worry.” Josh watches the car pull out and dives right into the parking spot. “It’s always the other car’s fault if you get rear-ended.”
HONK HONK
The car behind us honks before continuing on their way.
Josh flips them the bird out the side window, turns the car off, and gets out. “Mind helping me with the stuff you guys?”
“Not at all.” Sejong and I get out and help carry stuff out of the trunk and towards the beach. We got everything. Coolers with soda cans full of alcohol and water bottles, tupperware cases full of all kinds of food, umbrellas, towels, blankets. The whole shebang. Sejong manages to carry two umbrellas, a bag full of towels, and a huge blanket with four arms. Ah yeah… I love it when she has four arms… because that means four armpits. Whenever Sejong has four arms, she never has four pectoral muscles. I know her Tech spits in the face of anatomy… but come on. Give me my four titties.
“You sure you’re okay with all that, Sejong?” Josh carries an awning over his shoulder and his duffle bag. He’s sweating like a pig and I can see the veins popping off his forearm. He’s cute when he’s trying to show off.
“Yeah… Hah… Course I’m fine.” Sejong sounds out of breath. “It’s a good way to get stronger… teaches… discipline…”
“Attagirl.” Josh flashes us a cocky grin and continues trudging over to the spot we planned on.
Two minutes pass and we see the Lovers setting up a blanket, a cooler, and some chairs.
“Yooo! Angie!” Vivian waves. “Over here!”
“On it!” We continue trekking towards them.
I have one. Big. Complaint. Everyone has their shirts on. Everyone. Come on! We’re already at the beach! Get those shirts off! I wanna see some tummies! I wanna see some biceps! I demand to see some titties!
We take about ten minutes setting up everything and getting all our stuff sorted out. Managed to take stock of the snacks and food. Got some sandwiches, fried chicken, spaghetti, chips, cookies, fruit, some store bought cheesecake, and frozen pizzas. I snatch some chicken and cookies and hide it in my bag for safekeeping. Dunno how we’re going to cook frozen pizza. Wait. Janelle’s here. Never mind.
So we’re done, right? Everything’s set up? People are tired and all sweaty. Now’s the perfect time to take off your shirts… Waiting… Come on. Will’s taking it off! Attaboy! Oooh… Nice. Got a nice build. It’s weird. He’s shorter than the other boys, but wide. Not quite a barrel chest, but getting there. He’s definitely going for power over speed. Real great chest and shoulders. Cute collarbones that I just wanna nibble. Maybe I will when we get drunk just to mess with him. Wait… Janelle’s my roommate. Bad idea, but hilarious. His face looks quite mature as well. More rugged than A.D.’s even. It’s weird. His face looks just a tad too mature for his body now that I think about it… and his ass is flatter than a wet pancake. At least his back looks pristine. Noice. Overall, 7/10. The plain black swim trunks are simple, but very Will. He starts running towards the ocean without another word.
“Wait! Will!” Janelle chucks off her jean shorts and shirt and starts heading off towards him. Wow… Just… wow… She’s definitely more fit than the last time I saw her shirtless. Her thighs and belly are still chubby. That is not a complaint. Just an observation. All cultured individuals can appreciate some good chub. She’s got chub, but I can tell there’s muscle under it. Definitely more than there once was. I can see some tone budding in her back and arms. Even her butt finally has some definition. She even has these cool-looking stitches on her chest. Take notes, Will. God, that chubby belly looks so cute when she runs… not a bad bust either… Smaller than me, but certainly a handful. Her swimsuit’s quite cute as well. The bottom and top are a simple shade of crimson, but the top has these adorable frills on it. I can’t help myself. I’m a sucker for frills.
“I’ll race ya to the shore!” A.D. literally tears his shirt off and begins sprinting off after Will. He’s in a tiny black speedo. Quite the bulge. I enjoy watching it bounce as he runs. ANYWAY. Back to the body. This is an athletic-ass body. The kind the Greeks would make gay statues about, minus the tiny dick. Tall, dark, handsome, with a body that can run marathons and leap over hurdles to get wherever he needs to go. Still lanky, but that’s not bad. Big is good. Leaner than Will, but looks more defined. It’s what most people think of when they think ‘athlete’ body. He’s got a hairy-ass chest though. Wasn’t expecting that.
“Sooo…” Vivian rests her head on Yuko’s shoulder. “You wanna go swim or nah?”
“I’m not going out until I get sunscreen.” Yuko removes her shirt and lies down on her stomach on a blanket.
“You got it.” Vivian smiles, pulls a bottle of sunscreen out of her backpack, and begins dripping some on Yuko’s back.
Babe. Just. 110% babe. She’s wearing the most expensive, bitchiest sunglasses I’ve ever seen. The lenses are huge and have little diamonds along the edges. They look like the kinds of glasses you’d wear while firing a man’s entire family and using his severance pay to get yourself a manicure. I feel humiliated just looking at them. She also has this sunhat that… looks almost out of place. Compared to her sunglasses, it looks simple, humble even, but the sheer size makes her look more important. This woman is dangerous and I haven’t even got a good shot at her body yet. She’s got meat in all the right places… a lot of meat. Tall… perfect skin that looks smooth as silk. Thighs that could either make the best pillows or a quick death. Wide hips. Not wider than mine, but wide. Shiny hair that looks meticulously well-kempt. Must’ve taken her like three hours to get her hair done right. If that’s the case, I respect that. That’s a hustle. Did she make a deal with some evil spirit to get a bod like that? If I look at just the right angle, I can see her chest press against the blanket… I need to see her run. Patience, Angie. Patience. She’s wearing this mature, expensive, simple black bikini that looks right out of Hollywood. Her body doesn’t look nearly as athletic as the others, but who needs strength or dex when you’re running a charisma build like that?
Vivian tosses off her shirt, stuffs it in her bag, and begins rubbing down Yuko. Now that is some muscles on a woman. Definitely has to be the most toned out of all the girls I know. I can still see some bruises from the hospital and her sparring match with A.D. Maybe next quarter, I’ll be able to call her buff… but for now she’s just athletic… definitely athletic enough to carry me. Vivian’s wearing this velvet tube top with a little palm tree design on the left boob with some velvet swim trunks… that’s a look I never knew I needed. Her scarring looks just as bad as it did the day back in the hospital. Her eye looks like it’s struggling to stay open, but I don’t care. It looks cool. A few more scars and she’ll have this punished warrior look nailed. Even her back has a little crater where the laser hit. It looks so cool… I wanna have a scar like that. Her abs are delicious. It’s not a six pack yet, but I can see it. The number of packs doesn’t matter. I care how defined that abdomen is. Her abdomen looks strong. Nowhere near as thick as Will’s but still good. Nice toned arms… Thick thighs… I don’t mean soft thick, I mean hard thick. God I want her to kick me. She’s got some good broad shoulders and fantastic back muscles too. Overall solid, well-rounded build that looks solid and sturdy. I can’t tell what her butt looks like cause she’s sitting down and she’s wearing trunks… I’ll do more research later. Promise.
Sejong yawns, takes off her shirt, and lies in the sun with some plain sunglasses and a content smile. Sejong’s sporting this delightful dark green onesie that has this 90s design in the middle. It’s hard to describe… but it kinda looks like a Taco Bell in ‘96. She decided to go with a dark, thin build today. Short curly hair. Long legs. Slender. Not a lot of muscle. Easily the least amount of meat out of everyone. She looks really thin, but it doesn’t look unhealthy. I suppose lithe would be a more accurate description. I feel like if I touch her, she’ll wrap around me like a snake and squeeze the life out of me. I can’t look away… it’s so weird. She’s like 70% leg. I don’t think hot or sexy is the right term. I’m not thirsting over her. I’m admiring her build. It’s so unique, but oddly beautiful. Though that could just be me… Beauty’s always more appreciated when it’s fleeting.
“Ready to go, Angie?” Josh sports a huge toy shovel over his shoulder and hangs a massive pail in front of my face. “Time to get sandcastle building.”
Time for the main course. “Let’s go.”
He smirks at me, tosses his shirt into his bag, and we walk off to a nearby dune to collect sand.
Josh… good lord. Let’s get the boring part of the review out of the way first. Dark red trunks with a floral and surfboard design along the sides. Boom. Done. Looks nice. Suits him. Now onto the juicy bits and boy do I mean juicy. First off, the tats. God. Damn. Good. Ass. Tats. His shoulders, back, and arms are this immaculately detailed canvas. His torso is littered with little surgery and cut scars. He looks so dangerous, yet his smile is so warm. He big. He hard. He’s like a viking that raided his way into my heart. His hands are so big and strong and useful for lots of fun things. Big meaty thighs. If I had to compare it, it’d be like a mix between Will’s wideness and strength and A.D.’s lankiness and slender frame. Good, perfect balance. Also he’s got a thick ass. If I listen closely, I can hear it clapping… or that could be mine. Hard to say.
God… just… I’m so happy… All my friends are so hot…
A.D.
November 29th, 2007. 11:12 a.m. Beach base. Janelle, Angela, and Vivian are burying a sleeping Yuko up to her neck in sand. Sejong is tossing various fruit to Will to slice up for spectators. I think Josh is swimming. Either that, or he’s been pulled under by a mythical sea creature never to be seen again. I’m just taking a hydration break underneath one of the umbrellas. Man… running in sand really slows you down. This is fantastic training. Now if only I had some ankle weights or a parachute to strap to me, then this would be perfection. I down one bottle of water and begin fishing through the ice chest for some more. Beer, beer, beer, ginger ale, beer, beer, a juice box that’s full of wine, lemonade? Damn. Hard lemonade. How is there no water in here? Oh… right. Yuko was in charge of stocking this. I need to volunteer to stock the ice chest next time. This is embarrassing. There’s no electrolytes or protein in here! Only empty calories and false promises! I chuck a frozen beer can to the side of the ice chest and see a bottle of orange juice. That’ll do just fine. I take the bottle out, pop the cap off, and begin drinking some more. Aaah… That’s good stuff.
I see Josh pop out of the water, spit some salt out, unwrap some seaweed off his legs, and pull a purple starfish off his stomach. He runs back to the beach base looking like he’s seen a ghost. Can ghosts swim? I mean… they exist, but how do they interact with water? Do they exercise? Can I exercise if I become a ghost? I’m in no rush to find out, but I feel that’s important information. Josh sits down next to me, catches his breath, pulls the cap off a beer bottle, and chugs half of it down in one gulp. “Ocean’s haunted.”
“Oh come now. Surely it can’t be that bad.”
“Dude…” Josh grabs my shoulder and gazes into my eyes. “ I saw something. It had teeth on its tentacles and eels for hair…”
“Anything else?”
“Yeah… she had a fat set of tits too.”
I nearly spit out my juice. “Okay, Josh. Okay.”
“I’m telling you, dude. I saw it for real…”
“If you say so.” I control my breathing, beat my chest, and swallow the orange juice.
“Your loss.” Josh lets go of me, shrugs, and lies back in the sand. “Actually… while we’re on the subject of tits here. Who’s the best girl?”
“In what? Tekken?”
“No, you loser. Here.” Josh points out to the buried Yuko.
“The beach?”
“No! Our teams.”
“In terms of combat effectiveness?”
“Not in terms of strength! In terms of hotness! Curves! Boobs! Smiles! Eyes! Soul! Who’s the best to you?”
“Oh. Ooooooh.” I laugh. “Sorry. Misunderstood. Hmmm….” I screw the bottle cap back on and rest my chin in my hand. “Now there’s a question and a half… Hmm… Truth be told, I’ve never given that question much thought. Are we counting Sejong in this discussion?”
“No.” Josh shakes his head. “That’s not fair. Sejong’s cheating.”
“True. Hmmm… Well, they’re all cute in their own ways… Vivian can sure as hell throw a punch and she’s got a great fighting spirit. Plus her body is admirable. Good tone, best muscle bulk out of all the women on our teams, she’d certainly be the best training partner. I would certainly love to touch her biceps if I’m ever given the opportunity…” I feel my chest start to get warm.
“You’re a simple man. I appreciate that.” Josh cackles.
“How honest do you want me to be about Angela?”
“You can say whatever the hell you want about her.”
“Well… she’s not athletic at all, but she plays a damn good Twelve… She can make some fairly consistent reads and she certainly has no shortage of passion. Plus she’s the optimal height.”
Josh looks at me like I’m speaking in tongues. “What do you mean optimal height?”
“Her hurtbox is so tiny. High attacks just go right over her.”
“Do you only think about fighting?”
“No, no… I also prefer short girls.”
“Now you’re speaking my language. Why short girls?”
“I’m not entirely sure… but I just want to protect all short girls. I feel like it’s my duty. They’re great to hug and rest your chin on the top of their heads and they’re great for bench pressing.”
“As spotters?”
“No, as weights.”
“Why did I even ask?” Josh laughs. “Good to know you have good taste in women though.”
“Why thank you.” I nod and glance over to Angela. “Not to mention… her butt is immense and her hips are so wide…”
“Good to hear you’re an assman as well.” Josh sits up and admires Angela’s butt as well. “It’s magnificent ain’t it?”
“Well there’s that, but big butts and wide hips are factually better than thin hips evolutionarily speaking.”
“Wha?”
I turn to Josh and smile. “When you finally decide to settle down with her, she’ll be able to provide you with many children. Your clan will grow strong and plentiful.”
Josh coughs up some beer and starts pounding his chest.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah… Peachy.” Josh glares at me for a second before shaking his head and continuing his coughing fit. “Oooh… A.D., buddy. You can’t just say stuff like that.”
“What do you mean? Aren’t you and Angela already engaged?”
“No, you dingus…” Josh takes a deep breath and finally calms down.
“Huh. Oops. Coulda fooled me.” I shrug.
“What about Janelle and Yuko?” Josh exhales and takes another swig.
“Janelle’s fine… for now. I see her potential. Her thighs and abs have gotten more defined… I will keep myself from commenting until she reaches her potential.”
“Fair enough.” Josh shrugs.
“And Yuko’s alright. Not really into tall girls. I mean she does have strong legs… but she shows no desire to make them stronger and lacks fighting spirit.”
“The hell are you talking about? She’s always ready to fight.”
“No, no. You misunderstand. She may be a great fighter, but she lacks fighting spirit.”
“The hell’s fighting spirit?”
“Fighting spirit… is what makes a warrior a warrior. Dedication to improving oneself, strong work ethic, humble in victory, but gracious in defeat. That is fighting spirit.”
“Aight, cool.” Josh takes another sip of beer.
Josh
November 29th, 2007. 12:27 p.m. Just been chilling out with Yuko having a beer for a good minute. Will and Janelle are off having some gross, sappy beach date. Angela, Sejong, Vivian, and A.D. are having a chicken fight off in the water. No former associates or Faust as far as the eye can see. No other weirdos either. No aliens. I pray to whatever god that still exists that I didn’t just jinx us to hell and back.
Yuko pops off a beer cap with her teeth, takes a heel of a chug, and licks some foam off her thumb. “Ey, Josh. This crap’s good.”
“Told you it’d be.” I lean back in the chair and look at the ocean. Truth be told, this is my first time seeing the thing in person. Never thought I’d live long enough to see it. I wonder just how big it really is. There’s gotta be some good loot hidden under there, right? Maybe some weird sea creatures too. Hopefully some weird sea creatures. I want Will to fry up any deep-sea monsters we find. Maybe the aliens are alive down there… I mean, it could make sense. They look like they belong in the water. Aw man can you imagine what kind of whack-ass plot twist that would be? If the aliens were secretly some kind of race of proto-human that left this planet for the stars eons ago? That’d be hilarious. I almost want that to be the case just to read the headlines. “Yo. Yuko.” I reach into my bag and search around. “You know what this day is missing?”
“Cake?”
“Well, that, but also this.” I pull out my metal bat and run my fingers along it. “Nothing like a good ol’ baseball game. You in?”
“Depends.” She takes another sip. “We using our Techs?”
“Of course we are. That’s what makes it fun.”
“Hell yeah.” She puts down her beer, gets up, and stretches her arms. “Let’s go.”
I pull out my baseball from my bag, get up, and head over to everyone else. Fortunately, Will and Janelle manage to make it back just in time. Janelle’s still latched around Will’s arm looking like she just won the lottery. Will won’t look any of us in the eye and looks like he is desperately trying not to smile. He also has some very conspicuous bruises around his neck. Nice. Everyone’s eager to play. We divide into our teams and I play rock paper scissors with Vivian to see which team bats first.
What do I pick? I don’t know if she’s a rock, paper, or scissors girl… I mean, girls are more likely to go with paper statistically. Is that the case because they’re girls or because boys always go with rock? Okay, calm down. Let’s say she’s assuming I’m going rock, then I should pick scissors. Crap. What if she’s assuming I’m doing that and has picked rock instead? Crap. What if she’s assuming I’m assuming she’s doing that and picks scissors. Crap! This woman’s wily! She’s even looking at me with that look again. Don’t let it get to you. You’re better than this. Just pick rock. She’ll never see it coming.
“Are you okay, Josh?” Vivian asks. “You’ve been standing still for two minutes.”
“I’m just working on my rock paper scissors strategy.” I raise my fists above my head and take my champion stance. “See, I was the undefeated king of rock paper scissors back in juvie. Never lost a single match and I’m not about to lose here.”
“You wanna just bat first?” Vivian asks. “My team’s fine with letting you go first.”
“No. Come at me. I will not allow a challenger to roam free.”
“If you insist.” Vivian shrugs before putting her hand out in front of her. “Rock… Paper… Scissors!”
I throw out my hand and… we both choose rock. What a wily woman. No matter. I won’t succumb to her mind games. Rock! Paper! Scissors! Both rock. Rock, paper, scissors! Both rock… again. Ohoho… She's thinking she can bait me into going scissors. I’ll show her. I’ll bait her into going scissors. No way am I going paper. Rock! Rock! Rock! Rock! Time after time after time, we both keep picking rock. Everyone’s having a good laugh. A.D. and Angela in particular are losing it.
“I’ll give ten bucks to the first person who picks paper.” Sejong chuckles.
“You sly dog…” My eyes wander over to Sejong before honing back onto Vivian. “Sounds like a good deal. You should go paper.”
“So should you.” She picks rock again… and so do I. I’ve made it this far. I’m not losing now. I just know she’s going to switch to scissors eventually to try and call out the paper. I’m not letting that happen. No way am I losing to scissors.
Thirteen games later, both of us are still picking rock. Fourteen, still rock. Fifteen, still rock. Still not giving up. This is personal now.
“Hey!” Yuko yells in the distance. She’s taken my bat and is standing by some secluded area of the beach. “Quit messing around and throw me the damn ball already!”
“Guess we go first.” Vivian laughs and starts to head over to Yuko with the rest of her team.
“Now hold on, you can’t decide that!”
“Are you gonna argue with Yuko?” Vivian asks.
“Fair enough.” I toss my baseball up and catch it. “Let’s play ball then.”
Everyone gets into position. I take pitcher. Angela takes first base. Sejong takes third place. Janelle takes second base. It’s a shame we don’t have more people… I’d love to have a regular baseball team. Does A.E.G.I.S. have a baseball team? I should look into that. Maybe I could get a scholarship.
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Yuko takes a wide stance and winds up the bat. She looks like she’s intimately familiar with a baseball bat. Not with baseball, just with the bat. Her stance is all wrong and far too loose, but she definitely has experience swinging a bat around. “Come on, hit me with your-”
I pitch. Blurs right past her. Yuko looks like she just realized she left the stove on.
Sejong whistles. “Dang! How fast was that!? Anyone have a speedometer?”
“Nope.” I recall the ball back into my hand. “Though last time I measured, I averaged 85 mph.” I smirk and look back at Yuko. “Ready for a second strike?”
“Don’t get cocky!” Yuko points the bat at me before winding up again. “Now I know what I’m in for! Hi-”
I pitch again. Yuko manages to swing in time, but misses completely. “Damnit!”
“Strike two.” I recall the ball. “Wanna try bunting?”
“Bunting’s for pussies!” Yuko winds up the bat again. “Come!”
I pitch again. Swing and a miss. Big miss. Such a big miss, that the bat flew out of her hands and went spiraling into the sky. Takes a good ten seconds for it to hit the ground. Fortunately it just plops onto a dune in the distance. No one was even remotely close enough to get hit by it.
Sejong stretches her arm over, picks the bat up, and hands it to Will. “Your turn.”
Yuko goes to the back of the line and sits on the sand.
“Don’t worry.” A.D. shoots her a thumbs up. “You’ll get it next time.”
“You’ll get it next time.” Yuko mocks him and pouts.
“Yuyu.” Vivian pats Yuko’s head.
“Sorry…” Yuko sighs.
Will points the bat out into the ocean. “Hitting a home run. Calling it now.”
“I’d like to see you try.” I smirk and spin the ball atop my index finger. “You ready?”
“Of course.” Will takes a proper stance and winds his bat up. Now there’s a proper batting stance.
I wind up and pitch as hard as I can into the dead center of the strike zone.
Will swings… and manages to hit. It goes flying out into the ocean and he goes sprinting to first base.
Unfortunately for him, I recall the ball right back into my hand. “Hey, Wiiiill!”
“Yeah?” He looks at me while continuing his sprint.
I flash the ball to him. “You’re out.”
“That’s cheating.” Will stops and points at me.
“Nuh uh.” I chuckle. “Techs are allowed, my dude.”
“Alright, alright.” Will nods and heads back to home base. “I see how it is.”
Vivian picks up the bat, shrinks herself, and grows the bat to be three times her size. She has to be standing at around one foot tall at this point. She can’t even carry the bat… that little devious bastard.
“What’s wrong, Joshy-kun?” Vivian snickers. “Can’t hit my strike zone?”
“I can try.” I take a deep breath and try to hone in on Vivian’s strike zone… This is stupid. This isn’t regulation at all… but it’s fair. If nothing else, I’m a man of my word. I do my best and pitch the ball and it flies well over her strike zone.
“Ball one.” Vivian chimes.
“Yeah. Yeah.” I recall the ball and pitch again. Completely off to the side. Doesn’t even come close. Vivian doesn’t even bother swinging the bat.
“Ball two.” Vivian snickers.
I say nothing, recall the ball, and pitch again. Ball goes straight into the sand ahead of me. Ball 3. I recall the ball before Vivian can comment, wind up my pitch, and just give up. “You know what? Just take the walk. I’m not gonna waste our time.” I can’t help but laugh.
“You got it.” Vivian returns to her normal size, restores the bat, and walks over to first base.
A.D.picks up the bat and gives it a few good practice swings. He even lifts it like it’s some kind of dumbbell. Ease off the training my guy. You’re at the beach. Your muscles are gonna pop by the time you’re thirty if you keep this crap up. He smiles at me and readies the bat. “C’mon, c’mon!”
I pitch and he perfect parries it first try. Complete with hitsparks and a sound effect. Honestly wasn’t expecting that. I raise up my hand and start to recall it.
“WRRYYYYYYYYY!” Yuko screeches in my general direction and I’m sent flying into the ocean.
“Yuko!” Janelle yells as I hit the water. “That’s not allowed! That’s violent!”
“He said Techs were okay.” Yuko shrugs. “I’m just playing by his rules.”
“Aw yeah yeah yeah!” Vivian cheers and starts sprinting to second base. “Baseball without limits!”
A.D. starts sprinting too and quickly catches up to Vivian. He keeps running just behind her.
I hack up some salt, get my hair out of my face, and dash out of the water as fast as I can. The ball’s still in the air. Waaay up in the air. Sejong’s running backwards stretching her arms out trying to catch the ball. Just as she’s about to catch it, the ball gets blasted further into the distance by another one of Yuko’s yells. It goes far. Like, real far. Into the horizon.
Vivian and A.D.walk onto home base and celebrate with a chest bump before joining back with the team. “So do you want the three outs rule or just switch once everyone gets a turn at bat?”
“How about we switch after everyone gets a turn?” I hack up some more salt and spit onto the sand. “Sound good? It’ll make it go faster.”
“Sounds good.” A.D. nods.
“I agree.” Sejong returns to normal proportions and hands me the ball.
“Alright then. Our turn.” I smirk.
Sejong
November 29th, 2007. 12:34 p.m. Beach. It’s my team’s turn to bat. My team decides it’s best that I go first, so I do. Will’s pitching. Yuko’s on third. A.D.’s on second. Vivian’s on first. I’ll probably have to worry about Yuko blasting me off my feet. She wouldn’t do that while I’m batting, would she? Who am I kidding? She’d totally do that. Aw man… this is gonna suck. I can’t even focus on batting cause I’m worried she’s gonna blast me into the ocean.
“Are you ready?” Will asks.
“Yes.” I nod and face him. I emulate Will’s batting stance the best I can and wind up the bat. “Ready when you are.”
Will pitches. It’s far slower than Josh’s, but I still swing and miss. I even close my eyes when I swing. I can’t help it. It’s scary.
“Sejong!” Josh calls.
“Yeah?”
“Just shrink down.” Josh chucks the ball back to Will. “He can’t pitch your strike zone if you’re too small.”
“Oh. Yeah. I can do that.” I shrink myself down to one foot tall.
Will laughs and points to first base. “Just take the walk. You and I both know I can’t pitch that.”
“Yes!” I return to my normal height and walk on over to first.
Angela takes up the bat and gives it a lazy practice swing. She takes a relaxed stance. I don’t know if that’s good or not. I always got picked last during P.E. and only went to bat maybe four times. She holds the bat horizontally out in front of her. I think it’s called bunting.
“Really?” Will asks. “You don’t even want to try to hit it? I’ll pitch it underhand if you want.”
“It’s my secret technique.” Angela wiggles her eyebrows with more dexterity than I thought possible. “Hit me, baby.”
“If you insist.” Will pitches overhead.
Angela adjusts her aim, lets the ball bounce off the bat and roll by her feet. She books it to first base and I run to second as fast as I can. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Will make a dash for the ball. This is bad. At this rate, he’ll surely pass it over to A.D. before I can get there. This is bad. This is- wait. The ball’s rolling away from Will. Josh is running away from Will with his hand outstretched. Josh, you cheating genius! I manage to make it to second and get a better view of the situation. Will’s still chasing after the ball, so I decide to book it to third.
“Josh!” Will barks, makes a dive for the ball, and misses. “You cut that out now!”
“Nah, man! This is fair!” Josh laughs and continues maintaining a certain distance between him and Will.
“Yuko!” Vivian calls out. “Blast Josh into the ocean again!”
“I can’t! There’s a bunch of children playing near him.”
“Wait, what?” A.D. looks over at Yuko making no attempt to try and slow me or Angela down. “You care about children?”
“Of course I do. Why would I want to blast five year olds into the ocean? They could drown.” Yuko crosses her arms.
“Huh.” A.D. nods. “Didn’t expect that.”
“Why do you think I hate kids?”
“I don’t. Just-” A.D. shakes his head. “forget I said anything. Sorry.”
I make it across home plate and so does Angela. We give each other a high five and we sit down near home base.
Will and Josh are still going at their little game of cat and mouse. Both sound exhausted, but neither is willing to concede.
“Just… stop… pulling the ball… already…” Will jogs over to Josh. “Both of them…. already… went to home plate… why are you doing this?”
“Because… you’re still chasing…” Josh laughs. “You look like… such… a… jackass… like… this… hnngh…” Josh eventually stops running and clenches his stomach. “Ooooh I knew eating that whole pizza would bite me in the ass.”
“I’m kinda bored now.” Yuko yawns. “I’m going to get some ice cream at the pier. Anyone wanna come with?”
“I could go for some ice cream.” Janelle nods.
“Hell yeah.” Angela gets up. “I’m always down for getting creamed.”
“Wait!” Josh trudges back to us. “You can’t quit this game yet! We’ve only just begun!”
“Yeah, well.” Yuko shrugs. “You win. I’m fine with losing.” Yuko, Angela, Janelle, and I start to leave for the pier.
“I don’t want to win!” Josh whines. “I want to play some baseball!”
“And I want some ice cream.” Yuko keeps walking without looking back.
Angela
November 29th, 2007. 2:06 p.m. Beach. I’ve collected the necessary ingredients for a fine sand castle. Seawater and… sand. Lots of sand. I love sand. It’s course, rough, irritating, and it gets everywhere. Kinda like a slutty tsundere. I finish dumping the two pails of seawater over a dune of sand that Josh gathered. “Is that enough?”
“Should be.” Josh smiles and cracks his knuckles. “Watch this.” He bends down over the dune and raises his hands. Damp sand rises from the earth and starts to form into a hella elaborate sand castle right before my eyes. Like, seriously. We got a moat, castle walls complete with little soldiers and artillery, a garden in the atrium full of little sand flowers and sand trees, a throne room with two huge, kickass thrones surrounded by hot busty sand princesses. Five minutes in, and this dude’s still going. Makes a dining hall with a three feet long table full of feasts, little sand people, and little murals on the walls.
And we didn’t even get to the best part of the castle… the dungeon. Hooo lordie the dungeon. Every kind of medieval torture device you can think of is here. Iron chairs, racks, brazen bulls, iron maidens, pears of anguish, dunking stools, instep borers, mancuerdas, pillories, wooden horses, breaking wheels, iron spiders… oooh Joshy. You know me so well. There’s floors upon floors of little sand people getting maimed and abused. They all look like they’re having real bad times. It’s hilarious. They keep calling for help and I’m just looking on giggling like a jackass. Now I know how God feels.
Sejong and a few others approach the sand castle and start taking pictures. “Josh… this is beautiful.” She circles around and starts taking as many photographs as she can. “Since when were you interested in the arts?”
“Huh? Uh… not really ever?” Josh rubs the back of his head. “I took a woodshop class in highschool once, but that’s about it.”
“Josh!” I can hardly contain myself. “Can I destroy it?”
“Of course.” Josh smiles.
“No, Angela! Wait! Don’t destroy it!” Sejong dives in front of me, but it’s no use. I slide under her and begin rampaging through the castle like Godzilla through Tokyo. I kick down the castle’s towers, swat and crush the sand soldiers in my palms, and people’s elbow the throne room. I keep thrashing and stomping and roaring until I’m just some asshole lying on a pile of damp sand. Feels good man.
Will
November 29th, 2007. 4:31 p.m. Beach. Back at our base camp downing a bottle of water. Josh is asleep under some towels under an adjacent umbrella. Janelle and Yuko went off to the bathrooms. Why do women always insist on going to the bathroom in pairs? Is there some secret meeting in there? Is it an unspoken code? It always mystifies me…
A.D.’s taking a little hydration break next to me. He’s staring out into the ocean, but I swear he’s glancing at me every now and then… He knows. I know he knows. There’s no way he could just forget about that. Every time our eyes meet, it feels like he’s sucking my soul out through his gaze. I just close my eyes and take a deep breath every time I come close to crying.
I had to take a break from swimming cause my right arm started hurting. Feels like there’s a needle piercing through my palm and my shoulder’s all numb too… This can’t be because of the sword, is it? Even though time was rewound, am I suffering from some kind of withdrawal? If that’s the case… I deserve it. I don’t care if my arm falls off, that’s still way too generous fo- something just grabbed my hand. I look over and see Vivian holding my hand with both of hers. She’s examining it like a child looking at an iguana.
“Can I help you?” I ask.
“Is your arm hurting?” Vivian presses her thumb over the back of my hand. I feel some of the pain grow numb.
“Yeah…” I glance down at my hand. “How can you tell?”
“Well you were holding it when you were running out of the water. Kind of a dead giveaway. Also I could see you grimace every time you pitched.” Vivian looks over my arm and runs her fingertip along it. “Mind if I try something? I promise it won’t hurt.”
“Uh… sure?”
“Thank you.” Vivian smiles, sits down behind me, and digs her thumbs into my shoulder. I feel something pop under my skin. A weight I didn’t know existed shifts off my shoulder. She keeps moving her hands down my shoulder and into my muscle… it feels so good. “Vivian, where on earth did you learn to do this?”
“My dad’s a masseuse.” Vivian twists my arm in a way I didn’t think was possible. It feels… better. Just, better. Like oiling up an old car. “I used to watch him at his job a lot.”
I take a deep, deep breath. “I appreciate this. Thank you.”
“No problem. I like giving massages.”
“Why?”
“It’s fun reading people’s bodies. Every sore muscle, every knot, every limb has a story that you can read just by feeling it.”
“I see…” I feel my heart sink into my intestines. I’m not going to ask what she means by that. I’m probably just reading far too deep into this.
Vivian’s hands slide back down to my hand and rub my palm. “Hold on…” She narrows her gaze at my palm and says nothing. I can see her chest deflate a little and her lip twitch.
Against my better judgment, I open my mouth. “What story does my hand say?”
Vivian looks at me with a foreign expression and opens her mouth. “Th-”
“Yooo, Vivi!” Angela runs up next to her. “What kind of scandalous activity are you doing? Won’t Yuko get jealous?”
“Why would she?” Vivian straightens her back and turns to Angela. “There’s nothing wrong with giving a friend a massage.”
“Ooooh massages~” Angela rubs her thighs together. “Willy, is the massage any good?”
“It’s excellent…” I dedicate all my willpower to not having my voice crack. I’m barely able to sit up straight. Both my shoulders and my core feel as if they have been reduced to gelatin.
“If that’s the case.” A.D. raises his hand and points under his right lung. “My abdomen’s been hurting like hell lately… is there anything you can do to help that?”
“I can try.” Vivian cracks my elbow. I do not believe in chakras, but I feel as if one had just opened up.
“How long has your abdomen been hurting?” I ask. It feels like a serpent of my own creation has slithered under my neck and is constricting every word I say.
“Dunno…” A.D. groans as he rubs his rib. “Yesterday, maybe? I think I just slept wrong.”
“Oh oh!” Angela sits down. “Do me first though. My lower back is killing me.”
Josh wakes up from his nap. “Maybe if you didn’t sit like that pasty anime boy all the time, your back wouldn’t be so garbage.”
“You don’t get it!” Angela chuckles. “I have to sit like that! It looks cool!”
“It really doesn’t…” Josh groans.
A.D.
November 29th, 2007. 9:27 p.m. Beach. We’ve been sitting at a campfire for quite some time. We got full bellies. Most of us have some kind of buzz going. Everyone is still fully lucid. Josh hasn’t brought that out yet. Now’s a good time to update my list now that I’ve gotten a better view of everyone’s abilities. I pull out a notebook and a pen from my backpack, write down everyone’s names, and begin trying to rank them in my head.
“Whatcha doin there?” Angela licks some barbeque sauce off her fingers.
“I’m trying to make a tier list out of everyone here.”
“What on earth’s a tier list?” Will asks as he washes the silverware he brought.
“A tier list is a list of characters in a fighting game ranked based on overall combat strength, versatility, and matchups. Basically a power list.”
“Ooooh nice.” Vivian collects the paper plates, pizza boxes, and dirty napkins from everyone and puts them in a garbage bag. “Who’s bottom tier? Is it Angela?”
“Hey now.” Josh points at Vivian.
Angela cackles. “If I’m not at the bottom of that list, one of you has severe problems.” She looks at me with a wide grin. “C’mon. Tell me I’m at the bottom of that list. Hit me.”
“Well… this is just a rough draft for now, but I’m putting you and Sejong tied for bottom.”
“What’s your reasoning?” Janelle asks. “Isn’t shapeshifting super useful? Can’t Sejong just turn into a sword and fly at people?”
“I can…” Sejong shivers. “But I really don’t want to…”
“Why’s that?” Vivian asks.
“Do you want to dig around in someone’s abdomen and get blood all over you?”
“I mean… if it got the job done.” She takes a sip of water.
I clear my throat. “Angela is at the bottom of the combat tier list because her Tech is situational. If there’s no technology in the area, her Tech’s basically useless. Sure she can make phones explode and make pacemakers malfunction or wipe out your bank account, but she can’t do any of that without technology nearby.”
“Ey, true.” Angela nods. “Plus I got little baby trex arms. I can’t really reach that far in hand-to-hand.”
“Since we’re on the subject, how close do you have to be to jump inside a machine?”
“Close enough?” Angela scratches her head. “Never did bother to measure an exact distance. Within arm’s reach I assume? I’m always so close to some form of technology that the range barely even matters.”
“Fair enough.” I nod and look at Sejong. “Do you and Angela wanna spar right now to see who comes out on top?”
“No…” Sejong groans and rubs her stomach. “I’m still digesting. That would be a bad idea.”
“Got it. You two stay tied.”
“Who’s just above us?” Angela asks.
“That’s… tough.” I look down at my notebook. “Everyone’s Tech is so unique and their strengths depend on if they have any equipment with them as well as the range between them and their opponent.”
“We should put Yuko at the top though.” Vivian interjects. “Let’s be honest.”
“What do you mean Yuko belongs at the top?” Will asks.
“Doesn’t need any equipment, stupid long range, can also put you to sleep. Hell, her voice can probably do a bunch of other things that we don’t know yet.”
“Yeah…” I sigh. “I’m glad we’re on the same team. I can’t imagine fighting her. She has an instant full-screen meterless move.”
“That a good thing?” Yuko takes a bite of beef jerky.
“That’s a very good thing.” I assure.
“Hell yeah.”
“I must object.” Will puts away his silverware. “Janelle is easily top-tier.”
“You really think so?” Janelle flashes a warm smile that melts my heart.
“You wanna test that right now?” Yuko leans back in her chair holding the jerky in her mouth like a cigarette. “I’m game. I can take both of you on.”
“I… I just finished fixing my hair.” Janelle shakes her head. “Thanks though. I’ll give the win to you.”
“No… A.D. Listen.” Will turns to me. He looks more serious than usual. “Janelle needs to be at the top of that list. She can do some terrifying things.”
“Like what?” Janelle and I ask at the same time.
“...” Will looks down for a moment. “I mean… she’s a pyrokinetic. Fire’s pretty dangerous.”
“Yeah, so’s blasting you into the atmosphere, suplexing you into concrete, and pulling your teeth out. We’re all pretty dangerous.” I reply.
“Never mind.” Will sighs and sits down next to Janelle. “Forget I said anything.”
“Will do.” I nod and write Yuko’s name at the top of the list. “Okay, so we got Yuko at the top, Sejong and Angela tied for bottom.”
“Hehe… bottom.” Angela snorts.
“Who’s the next weakest?” Vivian asks.
“Well, that depends on matchups… Most of us have situational instant K.O. moves.”
“I say it’s Josh.” Will nods.
“I never knew you didn’t like having teeth.” Josh laughs and pops another beer open.
“Have fun catching razor sharp teeth.” Will stares at Josh. “Plus anything you try to pull towards me would just be split in half upon hitting me.”
“So…” Josh smirks. “You’re saying I just need to get the first hit before you can sharpen yourself?”
“Would appear so.” Will nods. “I imagine that’s how most of my matchups with everyone would go.”
“Can you cut energy projectiles in half?” I ask.
“Depends on the energy.” Will opens a bag of homemade beef jerky and I start to salivate by the smell alone… “Water and fire I can cut, but not stuff like electricity and your fireballs.”
“I see. So it depends on the range between us too?”
“Indeed.” Will takes a bit off his jerky stick.
“Hey… can I get a slice of that?”
“Certainly.” Will chops off a chunk of jerky with his finger and chucks it to me. “Enjoy.”
“Will do.” I pop that bad boy in my mouth and enter the meat dimension. I need to get this man to teach me how to cook. Even my mom’s kebabs aren’t this good. “Upon further consideration, I will put you second on the tier list.”
“You wanna see who’s higher on that list right now?” Josh smirks.
“No.” I shake my head. “I cannot parry telekinesis. If you pull my nails or my teeth, there’s nothing I can do about that soo…”
“That’s what I thought.” Josh takes a sip of beer.
“But I only have 32 teeth and 20 nails to pull.” I smirk. “Once you get those out, you’re out of ammo.”
Josh spits out some beer and wipes his mouth. “Dude, you’d pass out from shock at that point.”
“Only one way to find out.” I crack my knuckles and smile. “Wanna spar right now?”
“Bruh. You can’t be serious.”
“I’m always up for a good challenge.”
Yuko chucks an empty beer can at me. “You’re not losing your teeth tonight. Calm your ass.”
“Fine…” I slump back in my chair. “I’ll just have us tied then.”
“Whatever helps ya sleep at night.” Josh shares another sip of beer with Angela.
“Now what about you, Janelle?” I point my pen at her. “How do you think your matchups would go?”
“Well…” She scratches her head and looks around. “That’s hard… at my current state, I could take Angela, Sejong, and Vivian, but I would lose to you, Yuko, Will, and Josh in a heartbeat.”
“What’s your reasoning?”
“Well, for starters, I couldn’t fight Will at my fullest strength. I just couldn’t bring myself to hurt him. Yuko can just put me to sleep or put out my flames with her voice. You’ve already beaten me back in Chicago… and I would faint instantly if one of my teeth got pulled out.”
“Really?” Josh smirks. “You got a fear of tooth injuries?”
“Mmhm.” Janelle shivers. “I’ve observed births, hip replacements, triple bypass surgeries, and autopsies without any trouble. Yet, the second I step into a dentist’s office, I get horrible nausea.”
“That bad, eh?” Angela asks.
“That bad… you should have seen me when I had to get my wisdom teeth out. They had to sedate me after the surgery just to keep me from freaking out.”
“Ouch…” Sejong shivers.
“Hold up.” Vivian turns to Janelle with that glimmer in her injured eye. “You think you could beat me?”
“Well I do outrange you. Plus, it’s fire.” Janelle shrugs.
“How do you set me on fire when you can’t see me? Or what if I grow super massive and just stomp you?”
“I could just set fire to the entire arena and just smoke you out. I can stand in my fire all day. You can’t.”
“But could you kill me?”
Janelle looks flabbergasted. “I… how is that relevant?”
“It’s a combat tier list. Combat sometimes results in death. Could you kill me if you had to?” Vivian asks.
“I… I don’t know.”
“And that’s why I would be above you on the tier list. If it came down to that, I wouldn’t hesitate.” Vivian smiles.
Everyone gets real quiet.
“I mean…” Josh finishes off his beer bottle and sets it down by his feet. “She does have a point. This ain’t exactly a bloodless business.”
“I know that too well…” Will sighs.
“Question.” Angela leans in towards the fire. Her eyes scan the whole party over. “Who here has killed before?”
Angela, Will, Josh, and Vivian raise their hands. Janelle looks horrified. Sejong looks down at the floor. Will looks away, but keeps his arm around Janelle. “Interesting.” Angela nods. “I wonder how long it’ll stay that way.”
“Okay!” Janelle claps her hands. “How about we lighten the mood a little bit? Does anyone have any fun games or cheerful activities to take part in?”
Josh pulls a sizable baggie out of his backpack and dangles it. “I got the stuff.”
“Goddamnit.” Janelle facepalms.