(2505) Eternal Seasons

[Circe]

Circe tosses her towel down so she can sit on it, then drops the duffel so she can spread it out to actually have room. Then plops her, normally blue but not currently, butt onto it. "Ooooh," she smirks as Mina is teasing right back. Good on her not being scared of the Summer. "Ah, I see. I see. Fash-on!" nods her head in agreement that Fugly is dressed in fur.


Though she has an answer for that other question. "I would go with it getting yeeted, dropped, or driven in due alcohol, stupidity, wannabe Net notoriety or a combo. Or you know, youthful spite," because the Summer would go with a Summer reason. "I vote the last one."


And then Circe sees she is not the most covered in swim wear today. Maybe if she'd gone with a wetsuit, before recalling she had a better armor option due to fae bullshit, she'd have taken that crown. Who is the retro dude, wait! That voice. "Svelte, uh, Devon? That is quite the oldie. And props to you," she gives him a salute, "You are the most covered one here. Congrats."


Circe digs into her duffle and takes out a coconut-water / sports drink to down. She makes a face at the flavor combination. Coconut with strawberry banana didn't seem to mix great. "Thank you Mina. Now I am wishing I'd bought artificial grape flavor instead of this."


Then considers something that causes her a moment of concern before shaking her head. No. The Springs can be impulsive and flighty, but what would Sonja or Mina even want with a rusted bicycle or shopping cart? Give it to Circe to be scrap metal for the forge? Nay. Salvaging today seems most unlikely.


So, she drinks her bad tasting but healthy drink for now. Positive? Prince Fugly is in range for her to easily ply adoration onto. Which, if not interrupted, Circe will do so with gusto!

[Sonnie Wu]

Was she surprised that Sven had shown up to her beach party, given that he didn't seem like the beach type? Absolutely. The Beast blinked in utter shock as the Darkling appeared... wearing a swimsuit from the 1890s.

The struggle not to burst into laughter was real.

"H-hi Sven," was all she could blurt before needing to bite her lower lip.

"To be of the Spring season is to be fine as hell!" she nodded in agreement with Mina.

The Vernal Queen's eyes turned towards the Iron Spear, "I vote of the overuse of alcohol. It had to be involved."

[Svelte Sven]

"Devon." The Darkling intoned quietly, not wanting to be seen as disrespectful towards the reigning Sovereign but also realizing that she was probably unfamiliar with his mortal pseudonym.

He smiled a little at Circe, giving a mock salute in response to her tepid compliment. "What can I say? I hate to be underdressed." Perhaps there was some deep-seated body-image issues along with the other torments his Keeper had inflicted on him, who could say? All Sven knew was that he didn't like the idea of showing up in front of the rest of the Freehold in swim trunks.

Mina's mention of ice cream actually seemed to capture some spark of desire in the otherwise accommodating Page. "Oh? What kind, if I might ask?" Despite asking, it was clear to anyone who looked at his face that Sven would be happy to accept any kind of frozen treat, flavor be damned.

[Mina]

Frowning, “And here I was hoping for some secret, exciting art display that only the fish or those with the proper dive equipment could see.” Sighing, “Oh well, a girl could hope.” Clearly, she wasn’t being serious.

“Could always UberEats some.” Shrugging.

A nod of agreement to Sonnie, “It is what Spring does, it’s a requirement.” True story right there.

To the Winter, “I have regular vanilla, then there is some with strawberry swirls and some with chocolate swirls! I wasn’t sure what everyone liked, so I tried to go with some usual flavors. I have to say, the strawberry is really good! You’re welcome to whichever flavor, or all three!” pausing for a moment, "I think the next party needs to have an ice cream bar! Tons of flavors and all the toppings!" nodding, yup, that needs to happen.

[Circe]

"Eh," she shrugs, "Don't know what to say Mina. I was more concerned for the eels. Wanted to make sure they weren't around here 'fore trying to relax," Circe bluntly admits. If her Mask wasn't hardened, they'd have been questioning why her skin looked like it had layers of blue slate stone upon it, like steps. As it is, they'd have to feel her up to notice it.

"Any beaches near colleges along the river? Maybe there'd be something there. Or check online for tourist dive traps. Oh ho ho ho, 1 star would make it a total dive."


"Yes, yes," Circe nods with a mild frown, "Spring is the Season of showing off. Ditch the heavy garments and not at the too damn hot Summer yet. Time to show skin and sadly no mechanical bunny shoes to make the season into a pun. Glad I'm not allergic to all that Spring pollen. Good thing, right?" Circe looks around to see if there are any mortals in range to hear the talk of the Club Words. "Here I thought you were the Giddy and Gleeful members of our club. I'll keep to my tempering personality, got to have the club lingo in practice and all that," Circe gave a strained smile, her mantle breifly flares, "Riiiight?"


They are in public. Mentioning the courts instead of the seasons was bad.


"OH ho ho ho ho! I could have beaten you on that Devon" she gleefully says to him and breaks out into laughter. "Buuuut those brass diving helmets are too heavy metal for me to dance to, oh ho ho ho!" Puns continue. In theory, her Summer contracts could have let her wear Antarctic weather gear in the Sahara without any discomfort. The idea that it was related to THEIR torments upon Sven went over her head due to the mortal retro fashion popping up at times.


"If I am not the one doing any cleaning, I'd suggest beer and ice cream. It'll probably be as shit as this drink, oh ho ho ho!" She laughs at the idea and frowns to stick her tongue out as she finishes her coconut water with fake flavors drink. "Or just get a bunch of singles in many flavors. Just do NOT do the taste testing like with wine."


She looks over to Svelte. "Devon? I haven't been to a wine tasting, and you look far less thuggish than me." Circe pauses to give him a thumbs up, "It is a compliment. At wine tastings, they spit out the wine at the fancier ones, correct? Or, uh, is that cheese?"


It seemed wasteful either way to her. The next item she got out of her duffle was something that Fugly could not have. It was a wide mouth water bottle with two things inside it. Ice cubes and, worse for Fugly, grapes.

[Sonnie Wu]

Sonnie rose from her seat suddenly, removing her sunglasses and seeting them aside. She took a moment to stretch properly, then looked at her dog. "Wait here Fugly. Mama's going for a swimmer-ino!"

The canine seemed too distracted by the ice cream to care. The Spring Queen shrugged and looked at Mina, "That sounds like an excellent idea! Though next month will be in Mary's season," she gestured towards Circe. "If she's cool with us throwing more shindigs, we can absolutely do an ice cream party! Great choice for summer!"

Eyeing the Iron Spear, she looked confused by all the 'club lingo.' "I understood maybe half of what you just said."

"Anyway," with a run and a jump, the Beast was off and plowing into the river water!

"AHHH! COLD!"

[Svelte Sven]

Sven certainly wasn't going to lose his composure over a frozen dairy treat. However, he wasn't about to turn down the offer, either. "I don't particularly mind the flavor." That wasn't actually true, but the Darkling was intent on not revealing to the world at large that Mina had stumbled onto one of his two chief vices (at least when it came to food and drink). No sir, not a hint of childlike glee at the prospect of ice cream.

He casually strolled a little closer to the water, at least close enough to dip his feet in. Circe's comments caused him to frown slightly in confusion. "Do they... even still make those?" It was often hard for him to tell with the Summer Queen what was in jest and what was in earnest. He didn't know much about it first-hand, but he had heard tell that she had connections and could 'acquire' a lot of items that were, well, not strictly legal. "No, thank you, though. I don't feel the need to cover my handsome features." He answered sarcastically.

The question about wine tastings drew a chuckle out of him. "Yes... 'classy' wine tastings will have a designated spit bucket. For the wine, not the cheese." Admittedly, Sven thought it was absolutely vile. Just because he was well-versed in the etiquette and protocol of hosting such events didn't mean he approved of every part of them. He couldn't imagine a better example of the disgustingly wealthy being ignorant of how obscene their fortunes were than a gaggle of millionaires smiling through wine-stained teeth as they spit fermented grape juice worth more than some people made in their entire lives into a bucket to be poured down the drain. At least I'll probably never have to suffer through one of those again.

The Whisperwisp glanced at Circe again before saying to nobody in particular, "It feels like the last few seasons have come and gone quite quickly."

[Mina]

“That’s why it’s my favorite season! The air starts to warm, plants start to grow, just all around a great time!” another spoonful of ice cream, “Now, nothing wrong with summer. Cause summer brings the heat for pool parties and all that!” she wasn’t sure why the flare in Circe’s Mantle, the talk had been pretty tame in her opinion.

“Not sure if beer and ice cream go together.” Looking thoughtfully at her ice cream, “But you could do beer tasting with like, those flights of beer! Those little paddle things that have little glasses of beer on them! Usually four or five different flavors of beer on them.”

Looking to Sonnie as she addresses Fugly and then goes for the water, “Guess the ice cream is just that damn good huh?” laughing, letting him enjoy himself. “I have to agree Fugly.” Taking another spoonful.

“Then maybe we’ll have to plan a get together and talk about it or something.” Smiling.

“Help yourself then! I have more then enough!”

Putting down her empty container, “Well I’m gonna join Sonnie!” and the delicate Elemental was off with a run and jumps in after Sonnie. "Cold!" but she laughs.

[Circe]

Circe shrugs as she plays with Prince Fugly, "Like I said Sonnie, if I ain't doing cleanup then it is simply not my monkey, not my circus, oh ho ho, ain't that right Fugly," she smiles down at the dog. "Given chemisty Mina," Circe quips, "They should NOT go well together. Speed up the vomit process from the beer, but I ain't cleaning I ain't caring."


Which wasn't as fun as the monkey joke, but hey it was true.


Circe smirks and looks to Svelte as her questions if she could find a diving suit or not. "Dear Devon, you'd be amazed what you can find on E-Bay." Circe giggles at the fact. "And that is fair, at face value, to keep it clear." She entertains herself. Circe didn't doubt she could find such a helmet or some modern equivalent for salvage diving. The hose and pump might be harder though, so perhaps better to not even try.


Sonja's forgetting code words for talking about Lost business in public? Nor did Mina get the message? Circe lets out a put upon sigh, not surprised at all that the Springs need a reminder of the whole secrecy thing. "We'll talk about it later, private stuff not for public discourse. As the head officer of the club right now, you should know."


Circe makes a disgusted face at the confirmation of the wine tasting spit rules. "So they treat it like tobacco? Yuck," Circe sticks her tongue out in disdain at the prospect. "Do that with whiskey and you whisk getting shot in some states."


"It helps build stamina!" She shouts to the two Springs as both complain about the cold. It should in theory, she wasn't sure. Summer Contract bullshit for cheating is condoned by the Summer Larcenist fully. The armored skin might have helped a little today.


"That is has, in the dark and dank for some of it, but quite speedy Devon," Circe can't help but agree. Then chuckles, "You know something else? I'm surprised they didn't ask about the lamprey eels after I mentioned those," she winks at Svelte. Then makes sure to grab the ice cream before Fugly does. "Did they say it was safe for Fugly to eat the ice cream? I am NOT poisoning a pupper by accident."

[Sonnie Wu]

Laughing, she splashed Mina as the Elemental joined her in the water. "Just the right amount of cold, amirite? Look at these nips! Rock hard!" Uncouth, the Monkey Girl was.

Fugly seemed to ignore everything except licking his ice cream container as clean as possible. Can't miss a single speck of yum! Dogs are funny like that.

Was she supposed to memorize code words? Nobody told her that. Homework was not her strong point. "I got stamina out the ass!" came a yell from the water. Nips and ass. What body part would she be bragging about next?