IC Aeaea City

[wren.]

AEAEA CITY, HAWAII

the sea's crowning jewel

Aeaea is a moderately populated city with a thriving population comprised primarily of Merfolk and other Fae. It's a lush tropical city located on the island of Kauai, with long beaches and vibrant cliffs. The welcoming and relaxed community relies on tourism as the backbone of their economy, but unique agriculture is a supportive second. It is considered a safe and peaceful place where crime, especially violent crime, is uncommon.

FORECAST​

DATE: October 29th, 2035. Friday.

TIME: 12:30 PM. Afternoon.

WEATHER: 81.7°F (27.6°C). Hot with a pleasant breeze.

CITY ACTIVITY​

Aeaea City is seeing an increase in movement as adults hit their lunch breaks, though it isn't as busy as it will be once school lets out for the weekend. The weather is lovely, encouraging all to spend some time outside in the sun. As usual, the beaches and boardwalks are full of tourists looking to escape the chilly autumnal weather of their hometowns.

CITY NEWS​

Nothing for now.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Ice Cream Social
Emery Moran, the owner of the The Sweetspot on the boardwalk in the Merfolk slice, is hosting an ice cream social the entire weekend! All ice cream will be half off, so come enjoy a sweet treat while making new friends!

- More fun activities will be added later. Can add any of your ideas too.

NOTABLE LOCATIONS​

• The Sweetspot

[See Buildings and Businesses thread]

TIME SKIP LIST

• 1st Time Stamp
• To Be Announced...

 

[wren.]

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EMERY

It is capitalistic bullshit to do what you love for work, but as Emery packs scoops of butter pecan ice cream into a sugar waffle cone for a small child with a unicorn-emblazed dress and messy braids, their chest is sincerely warm with happiness. Things had been quiet for the first hour or so of being open, but then a gaggle of kindergarteners and their teacher came barreling through the door. Apparently, they're on a school beach trip and had decided to take advantage of the shop's half-off discount event. It would have been nice if they'd given Emery forewarning, but getting through the long line of squealing children's orders was easy enough.

"Is it just you working today?" the teacher asks, a nice young woman in her late 20s if Emery had to guess, with a willowy body and sun-bleached hair.

"Oh no," Emery replies with a laugh, "I have someone in the kitchen for the food. But it's usually just me upfront."

Wide eyes blink spidery eyelashes, red lips pursing. "Are you not overwhelmed with that?"

"Not terribly," Emery shrugs, leaning their elbows against the glass counter displaying the various tubs of ice cream, yellow sundress brushing up against it. "I think your job seems much more stressful." They point behind the woman toward the tables where all of the children have been instructed to sit. A small boy is standing on his chair while threatening to smear their ice cream in another kid's face.

"Oh dear," the teacher squeaks, rushing over to the table to do damage control.

Yes, this is nice. Sure, Emery isn't rolling in dough (beyond pie crusts and other pastries) by running an ice cream shop, but it's rewarding. They love watching people run in from the beach, sunburned and barefoot in their bathing suits, excited to indulge in little sweet treats. They don't even mind the sand they inevitably have to sweep up from the wood floors each night.

For the children, visiting The Sweetspot is like an adventure, a place they only get to visit when their parents allow it. For the adults, it's a trip down nostalgia lane, that first lick of raspberry or cookies and cream sending them hurtling back to more innocent times. Either way, it's a break from the stress of everyday life, and Emery is proud to be able to offer people a harbor.

Emery's attention diverts from the energetic children when the bell above the door chimes again. "Welcome! What can I get for you?"

「 N/A 」

LOCATION | INTERACTIONS | MENTIONS

code by wren.

 

[LashL]

- I K E -
LOCATION | INTERACTIONS | MENTIONS​

"Dammit, Dammit, Dammit!" Ike would huff and sink into his chair, the many bottles of various scents, tinctures, and oils that made up his perfume making various clinking noises as another failed attempt now smelt somewhere between cabbage and a warm seawater. He was getting so close to what a client wanted, which was a perfume that smelled like a day at the beach, but each time it ended in catastrophe. One drop of this, or a drop of that and it was ruined, or at least, not useable for this application. Thinking quickly, he would add a few drops of peppermint and lemongrass, and this stinky solution could be used as a bug repellant. No bug would want to even get near that smell, and spritzing it all over the place might keep them at bay. Writing a quick label on the dark stained glass bottle, he would slide it into his drawer labelled "failures/new experiments". "What am I going to do now? Wait... shoot, what time is it?" So much work had gone into this third attempt at this scent that he hadn't realized how long he had been at it. Opening his phone, the young Libinite would gasp seeing it was already noon. "I've been at this for 6hrs already!? Geez Louise... I need to get out, perhaps go to the beach... try and figure out this fragrance at square one again."

Agreeing to himself that it is the best plan, he would get up from his work station, which was a long wooden desk with a large cabinet right above it, full with easily one hundred various bottles, all of which used to create his perfumes and colognes. Also in the space were a few bits of machinery, all also made of wood, that he used to extract those liquids from, as well as packing. The whole system took up the entire office room in the small house he owns, but it was worth it to Ike. Quality means he needed the sperate space, all to ensure the best product possible... that was, at least, if he could get the damn scent right. Taking a quick shower and throwing on a very loose fitting attire, not bothering to even fully button his shirt, which seemed to slip over to one shoulder from the size, Ike was soon out the door, and on his bike, pedaling towards the beachside of the city.

It was a warm one today, at least back in his old home of Black City. For Aeaea it felt like a regular day, if not a touch cool. The midday sun was bright on his pale face and hair, but Ike wasn't too concerned. He was a man with a mission, part to take a break from his work, and another entirely for his work. As he rode his stomach began to grumble, and Ike also realized he hadn't eaten anything all day. "Dang... okay, maybe take a pit stop somewhere for a quick bite then to the beach.." Seeing all the small shops, food carts, and tents that were popped up along the edge of the beach had his stomach only gurgling further. Ike would pull his bike up to one of them, and quickly was the proud owner of some delicious loco moco. Ike would begin to chow down with one hand, the other guiding the bike to a place to keep it.... completely unaware of watching eyes.

@PavellumPendulum @TerraBooma

 

[PavellumPendulum]

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PASHMINA

Pashmina Lutz thought herself to be somewhat of a modern-day Sherlock. Perhaps she was missing some sort of cloak, or a pipe, or even a sidekick, but like a trained dog with a mission, she sniffed out whenever there was hot gossip on the street or a mystery needing to be untangled. It was all for her own satisfaction, in the end. She was no journalist, but she could only spend so much of her waking hours toiling away in her in-home workshop. She loved the sewing, the designing, all the work that she had to put in to keep Posh-mina afloat online, but she made sure that her work didn't consume her. And so, being some sort of part time amateur sleuth, she often found herself walking the boardwalk in those flowing sundresses of hers, the heat of Aeaea descending upon the snakes in her pink hair in humid, heavy clouds.

Anywhere else, perhaps she would've stood out, making her appearance as unconducive as possible to sneaking, but amid the bright, tropical colours of her home town? Well, she fit right in. But, these days, she'd caught a new scent. On some occasions, perhaps one could consider this to be more of a turn of phrase rather than reality, but this time, it was a literal scent.

Some days it was foul, like rotten eggs and poorly aging cabbage. On other days, it was salty, even stronger than the scent that the waves lapping at the shore brought in. And sometimes, it was sweet and clean, something like clean laundry and warmed sugar. Pash couldn't really comprehend why Ike, a new man in Aeaea, had brought such smells with him. Did he have some sort of odd hobby? Was he experimenting? Perhaps some sort of underground drug producer or dealer? She tailed him on her off days, inconspicuously trailing behind him and sometimes peering in his direction, taking moments to shove herself into an alleyway once in a while to make her presence less constant whenever he happened to notice her.

Today, when he finally wheeled his bike up to a restaurant, she watched from afar, notebook in hand, her penmanship nearly illegible scrawl. At least it was cute though, in her neon pink pen ink.

「 @LashL @TerraBooma 」

code by wren.

 

[TerraBooma]

Cole Warfiln
Fire Magi, Investigative Journalist, Snoop.​

Honestly, Cole had figured that if it wasn't for people, Aeaea city might have been one of the most boring places on the planet.

A warm breeze, perfect weather, and a relatively relaxed locale. You could do a lot worse these days. And it was just so dreadfully boring. Thank whatever was listening that people still had a tendency to get up to their elbows in each others' buisiness. If it wasn't for the bumps in the night, what could you possibly look forward to exposing? There wasn't much exciting things to do when everything was perfect after all.

That was Cole's profession- Some had less glamorous names for it. Paparazi. Invader of privacy. A no good dirty rat sneaking into kitchens where he didn't belong. But as a self proclaimed independent journalist, it was hard not to take a little bit of passion in his profession of truth revealing. After all, if there was nothing hiding in the kitchen, why was all the food in it so tasty? That...metaphor didn't quite make sense, he'd workshop it. These days, he thought about writing a book when times were lean.

Leaning back at on a cafe chair, Cole pretended to be idly scanning through his phone. Scanning message boards and looking for some kind of interesting lead or gossip to follow up on. Instead of browsing through idle gab however, he had a more keen eye to search for problems and scoops. A particularly keen eye- in his crow familiar circling in the skies ahead. Despite being a tale as old as time; it seemed people really didn't question the things that happened up above their heads, and smoke blended in with the wildlife hovering on the warm warm winds and idle rooftops of their fair sunny city. That was the thing about paradise- it made everyone just a little bit lazy. A little bit relaxed. And that relaxation was what made people slip up. Fortunately, sunglasses made for the perfect cover for what would have otherwise been somewhat suspicious glowing eyes, and that let Cole do as much "Recon" as he wanted while idling in coffee shops or pretending to nap in a cozy second hand bookstore where nobody would mind him. Sure, watching around and hoping something would happen might not be the fastest way to get new leads. But if Cole had learned anything from growing up in Aeaea city, it's that things always happened a little slower here anyway. Might as well take it easy when fishing for secrets...even if it made the paycheque a little lean every now and again.

Today though, it looked like it was paying off. Smoke cawed and fired off a mental ping, but Cole already could tell what he was looking at. A man munching on a sandwich, hardly suspicious on its own. The sarpa giving him the stinkeye though...that offered a bit of incentive. The woman clearly had something on her mind, the way she kept poking out while failing to look like she wasn't all that interested in the answer before she went scrawling in her little notebook. He couldn't make out the handwriting with his birds eye view; so that meant this warranted a physical examination. With a cocky grin as the scent of a scoop filtered into his nostrils, Cole abandoned his lemonade and shoved his unlit dart back into his jacket pocket. Grabbing his camera, the journalist followed his gut to the scene (only a block away) and snuck up behind the wood be snooper. Suprising a sarpa wasn't...generally the best play you could make. But he figured it would be worth it for the look on her face. Besides, who didn't love a little candid camera?

The faint smell of cigarettes and the sound of his shutter clicking in the otherwise demure dim of passing crowds would have been her first signs that someone was onto her. But he announced his presence more formally a few seconds later, speaking in a hushed, conspiratorial volume with an amused inflection it.

"Well heya there Miss Pinky. You seem to have stumbled upon something interesting, at least from the way you keep going at that journal of yours." Smoke fluttered down and landed on his shoulder, and the magi flicked a small grape from...somewhere on his person into the birds waiting beak. "Cole Warfiln. Investigative journalist. Don't suppose you'd care to share some of the secrets you've been digging up? Looks like you've been stumbling into something interesting and ah...I'm having a bit of a slow day. Just so you know. Boris Alderson? Not secretly a mafioso posing as an ice cream salesman. Dude just slings cream. Who's the john?" Rather unceremoniously, the magi slinked up beside her, as if inserting himself in her scheme before it was a forgone conclusion.

@PavellumPendulum @LashL

 

[PavellumPendulum]

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PASHMINA

What on earth was mystery man doing? Pashmina scrunched up her face, watching him gobble up his loco moco with hearty enthusiasm rather than with practiced nefarious energies. In truth, it made her a bit jealous. The glistening egg and warm rice sounded nice right about now, especially when she'd forgotten to eat more than the sliced mango and lychee juice she'd had for breakfast. Still, she wouldn't let him off that easy. Maybe after he finished eating, he would start digging through the sand for something unknown or even return to the less populated, wooded areas to conduct his more unsavoury business...?

The thought made her grip her pen tighter, the snakes laced into her hair hissing and rising up above the crown of her head. At first, she'd thought they'd simply been reacting to her thoughts, but after hearing the shutter of a camera in the opposite direction, she whipped around, her sundress billowing out around her hips. "E-Excuse me?" she sputtered, her bright pink stink eye now pointed in the direction of some blue-tinted sunglasses and gelled blonde hair. She opened her mouth to say more, fangs visible through her glossy pink lips, but he interrupted, voice hushed and low.

Cole Warflin. She'd heard his name in passing, but never bothered to snoop around about him. Investigative journalists were too similar to herself, she had no interest in their dirt. If they were involved in any sort of corruption or messes, she would leave untangling that to their colleagues. She made a face at him, meant to be intimidating, but it looked like more of a pout, heavy-lashed eyes narrowed and cheeks faintly puffed.

Her snakes lunged for him when he came close, but she grabbed at their heads, not wanting an assault charge on her hands. "H-Hey, personal space...!" she shout-whispered, frowning, "My name's Pash, not Pinky. And this guy's mine, so go get your own story, magi."

She looked back to Ike, who was dabbing at the edges of his lips with a napkin. Nefariously. Probably.

「 @LashL @TerraBooma 」

code by wren.

 

[TerraBooma]

Cole hadn't heard much about this Pashamina- that probably meant that she wasn't a high brow reporter trying to blend in with the populace in order to get a real juicy scoop. No...it seemed far more likely to the magi that this sarpa was simply tasting a scent out, following a hunch with some level of gumshoe intuition and a real sense for sticking their nose in other people's buisiness. The journalist let out a wry grin as she protested his involvement, and also his close presence- she had the spirit for it at least. Regardless of her journalistic capabilities, she was at the least kinda cute when she puffed out her cheeks like that.

He took a step back- ceding to her wishes about personal space and needing to get a different angle for another shot with his camera anyway. With a soft click, the journalist rose a somewhat amused brow as she very clearly asserted that this was going to be her story, not his. Letting his camera hang from a somewhat loose strap around his neck, Cole would have let out a low whistle if only stealth hadn't been paramount to their current little sting operation. Instead, he settled for simply raising his hands in mock surrender, and all he could do to convey his emotional state was a wry grin and a slightly cocky glint in his eyes. "Alright alright, Pinky-Pash. You got this one. Journalist to journalist, wouldn't be very good integrity of me if I was just looking to steal the story of a budding case. I'll back off of this one from a professional angle- paper boy's honour and all that." Despite his words, Cole grabbed his camera again and clicked a third shot of her mysterious lead.

"Buuuuut." He trailed on in a conspiratorial whisper as he lowered the camera, finally. "Not going to lie. It's been a hell of a slow day, and I think I'm up to my eyeballs trailing Smoke around and waiting for something interesting to happen. Our little slice of heaven just likes to pretend to be so boring, y'know? So here's the deal; how about I tag along? Consider me a partner, sidekick, whatever floats your boat. I get to do something that isn't pretend to read some shitty books and news rags, and you get a birds eye view on the matter and a shutterbug's perspective. Not to mention? Hell of an alibi." He tapped the Camera, before pivoting and taking a shot of the cafe itself. "Nobody really questions someone who looks like a tourist. Anyway, whatcha say? You'd be saving me from a lifetime of boredom and helping your own story pretty proficiently. Eh? Ehhh?"

 

[LashL]

- I K E -
LOCATION | INTERACTIONS | MENTIONS​

As Ike sat there on that beachside food stand, scarfing down the delicious meal of gravy, beef, egg, and rice, he had a moment to view the crowds of people as they moved by. He enjoyed people watching from time to time, just seeing who was going where, but he hadn't done it in so long, probably not at all since moving to Aeaea. It was nice to take a small break from all the hustle of his work and just... stop. There was a little bit of commotion down the street where some of the more solid, constructed buildings were, a flash of pink and hissing snakes quickly connecting the dots on who it may be. Unless there were was multiple pink loving sarpas around, it was the same girl he had seen in a few different places. Ike had never even thought to ask for her name, mostly due to always working on something for his perfumes when he spotted her. She seemed really interested in what he was doing, and was usually writing stuff down or taking a picture or two, so maybe she was like an artist or something? Ike's fresh realization had him wondering if he should do a few poses for her, just so she could like.. get all the angles she needed. He wasn't sure, but the young libinite's mind was quickly back on his work after wiping his lips of any loco moco, hoping on his bicycle, and moving a little further down the beach.

Of course, the whole place was very popular, many people out enjoying the hot summer day. He even paced by a small ice cream parlor that looked filled to the brim with children, giving a little wave to the person at the counter as he rode by. No, where Ike was going was still a part of the beach, there was just a small trail you had to walk to get to the more secluded area. There he could really take in the scents of what a day at the beach without mixing it with various other substances, like whatever folks were eating or their general body odor. Ike did have a sensitive nose to that kind of thing, it came with the job, so he needed a quiet area to really get that essence. As he rode, he thought about what he was doing wrong, his words slipping out as he often spoke aloud to figure out the solution to his problems. "Perhaps it was too much like the real thing? Nobody actually wants that... maybe if I like... hmmm... oh maybe if I put things that associate with it, then no one could resist it! It would be perfect!" His words could be taken a bit more sinister without the context his mind was providing, but Ike pedaled on as if he had not done a thing wrong (which he hadn't).

As he arrived to the quiet trail, Ike would put his bike up, locking it up so no one would even think about it. Grabbing a small satchel from his bike basket, he was quickly down the trail, walking lackadaisically down through the palm trees and warm sand. In said satchel was a small kit for collecting things for use back at the house. Plenty of vials, baggies, and other tools for making sure he could collect what he needed for just the right scent. He was also now keeping an eye out for a coconut, as that would be a good direction to take the perfume.

@PavellumPendulum @TerraBooma

 

[PavellumPendulum]

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PASHMINA

He stepped back, which was good. It meant he could at least respect some of her wishes... Not that it stopped him from wanting to get in on her snooping though. She continued making faces at him, eyes narrowed, cheeks puffed, snaggletooth fangs pressing into her lips. Some people couldn't take a damn hint. Well, they understood the hint but openly rejected it, one annoyingly brash grin at a time. She frowned at him taking more pictures, opening her mouth to protest, but then she realized that if she herself had brought a camera, she would've snapped some pictures for evidence later on as well. Not that this guy had to know about it. Pah.

Pashmina didn't bother correcting him on the journalist part. She could be a part-time, amateur journalist! One that sniffed out stories for her own self satisfaction, anyway... There was no need to get into semantics. He tried to butter her up, suggesting that they pair up, if only to save him from the boredom of whatever the heck he had been doing out here in the first place before deciding to bother her.

Her snakes hissed at his continued presence and at his familiar, apparently named Smoke. She clicked her tongue at them to quiet down, before staring him up and down. "I don't know you. And I dunno if I trust you." she turned her complete attention on him now, momentarily leaving her target unsupervised, leaning in somewhat conspiratorially, as if someone would actually want to listen in on their conversation. Despite her saying otherwise though, she seemed like she was dying to involve someone in her gossip. "I don't know what he's up to, but it can't be anything good... So maybe I'll let you follow me just this once. I've got all these notes and I'm not gonna let them go to waste...!"

Her proud gesture to her notes was probably less stunning on his end, since her scrawl was completely illegible scribbles of sparkly pink ink.

In the corner of her eye, she saw the target move. Brazenly, Pash took Cole's hand with surprising strength, dragging him forwards, "C'mon, he's on the move, Warflin...!"

From a certain distance, she had them trail Ike down to a more secluded part of the beach, the chatter of a the boardwalk drowned out by the sounds of the ocean and the seagulls. It was more of a run than a walk, since the darkling was on a bike, but Pash held strong to Cole until they needed to skid to a halt, when Ike dismounted his bike. Peeking from behind a tree, she'd finally let go of the journalist, eyes focused on the prize. Ike had some sort of bag.

She stared at it, hard, as though perhaps she would be able to discern the contents of it through the material.

「 @LashL @TerraBooma 」

code by wren.

 

[TerraBooma]

Cole Warfilm (And Smoke)
Fire Magi, Investigative Journalist, Snoop
Interactions: Pashamina @PavellumPendulum Ike @LashL ​

Pash seemed to be something of a stubborn case, but Cole had to admit that her stubborn nature mixed with the way she puffed those cheeks out was pretty cute in general. He hadn't thought his pitch had been going very well; but it was clear that this sarpa was a snake of many scales- with a clear desire to take control and follow her direction. Regardless of her ability to communicate if he was in on the job verbally, dragging him along after their target was a clear indicator that he wasn't not invited along for the case, even if he had given his word that he wasn't going to steal the scoop.

The pink sarpa was a bit of an enigma. She didn't trust him, but she confessed everything she knew in an eager conspiratorial gossip session. He found himself grinning, though this time with her instead of at her. He was into the thick of it now, and if his services were going to be rendered, it was time to strut his stuff and show the gal how a real pro did his stuff.

He just...wished...it didn't involve...running!

He managed to keep up with the gossip girl, but it winded him pretty heavily. He considered himself to have a healthy aversion to prolonged exertion if it could have been avoided, and keeping up with a bike wasn't really in his MO. Normally he just had Smoke tail his targets while he did his best to zoom along at an inconspicuous pace. Play it low, keep your cards short to the chest, and catch them with the eye in the sky. Pashamina however, had other plans, and so he was left with a heaving chest as he leaned against their tree, he ordered Smoke to keep an eye on the guy. The bird cawed from the sky and circled overhead, blending in with the other wildlife in the area. As the bird did as ordered, it quipped in a message that only Cole could understand. He responded out loud, still catching his breath.

"Yeah...well...you can fly. So. Shuddup. I'll cook you."

There was no reply that Pash could hear, but Cole seemed satisfied with his response, nodding firmly to himself before taking a knee and starting to pull out his camera again. He paused, only to pull out a smoke instead and lighting it with a small snap of his fingers. Taking a drag, he'd blow a small puff of death into the air (away from Pash) before his eyes seemed glimmer in a faint red light barely visible through the shades. "Whatever he's got, it's not hot. So probably not something alive." The flash faded. "Looks like he's hunting something down though. Whatcha think it is? Some kinda deaddrop? Could have connections." He took another slow drag before biting his lip as the nicotine slipped into his body. "So how long you been tailing him?"

 

[LashL]

- I K E -
LOCATION | INTERACTIONS | MENTIONS​

As Ike moved down the trail, he would begin to dig through his bag for the various tools that he had brought along. Small vials for collecting samples, tools for keeping the scent of the object in tact as he takes it from the source, a few magical items for collecting air that actually keeps it's scent intact as well, among many other little objects.. This whole kit had costed him a pretty penny, having bought the pieces over time, but Ike loved every tool. "Oh come on, where is the knife?" He would grumble to himself, opening up the various side and sub pockets until he managed to pull out a small, thin blade. There was a bright yellow flower rest on the ground at where he had slowed to a stop, and Ike thought it was just the perfect thing to potentially add! It would provide the perfume with a touch of color to make it different looking, and provide a floral note to his new process. Slicing the plant, he would place it into a small containter before throwing it into his pouch and continuing to move.

As the trees began to part and give way, the young perfumist would find himself on the edge of this much more secluded beach. There wasn't a soul in sight, most people only using this section to run along, or like Ike, wanting a more quieter spot to conduct business. The white sands felt great, and Ike was already tossing his sandals to the side, ready to run up right to the water if he wasn't focused on work. "We can swim in a minute... just need to collect enough samples first." Looking back down the path he was on, Ike was almost sure he saw a flash of pink and a.... crow? a raven? Some kind of dark bird that wasn't really common in this part of Cervia... whatever it was, Ike swore he saw one for just a moment, and just as blinked, it was gone. "Huh... weird bird." Shrugging, Ike would get to work. Moving along the edge of the treeline, he would begin to collect samples of various plants that grew, scooped some sand into a small vial, getting up to his thighs in the ocean to collect a bit of that water. Everything little bit would help to make the purest perfume possible for this client, and Ike was getting giddy thinking about it. Though, there was one problem.

"Its still missing something." Ike would sigh, looking at everything he has collected so far. It was a good start, but not anything to make something smell good. It would smell okay, and probably would smell fine if distilled, but Ike wanted this to be great! "What else could I even add?" Blue eyes darting around the island paradise, Ike would settle on one of the larger palms trees, at the very top of which were some slightly underripe coconuts, green as can be. The young libinite would let out a gasp of excitement and immediately book it for the tree. The scene that his unknown viewers would see would be of this short, pale man struggling, but slowly climbing his way up a near 25-30ft palm tree, that small knife barely hanging in his pocket. Seems that Ike may not be the brightest bulb, but was quite determined.

@PavellumPendulum @TerraBooma

 

[PavellumPendulum]

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PASHMINA

Spilling the beans immediately after being prompted was second nature to the gorgon, she couldn't help herself! As much as she wanted to keep her information to herself, or at least shield it from total strangers, especially shady ones like this guy, her heart and soul ACHED to gossip. Her glossy pink lips were always loose, just too weak to the temptation of dishing, because there were few things that she enjoyed more. So, no, it hadn't really been her intention to get Cole Warflin involved in her investigation, but it was too late now! (Plus, she'd really been wanting to have a partner in all of this, but Emerson haaaaated when she didn't mind her own business.)

Cole had some conversation with his familiar, panting and heaving. It reminded Pash a little bit of talking to her snakes, though she could never ask them to tail someone for her, since they realistically couldn't be detached from her head without causing her immense main and brutally murdering them. Magis truly lived a life different from her own. And so, she let him do so, watching Ike carefully from a haphazardly calculated distance. Before she could do any extra observing though, the scent of smoke made her whip around.

Her face scrunched up. Snakes had an extremely sensitive sense of smell, so Cole's impromptu smoking certainly didn't please her, even if he was pushing the smoke away from her. With no sense of personal boundaries, she grabbed him by the scruff of his jacket, as though she owned him. "Hey...! You're mucking up the air on our pretty beach, not to mention the air that I'm breathing. Plus, what if he smells it and comes this way? Snuff it out, wise guy!" she lectured him in a whisper yell, before letting go with a frown once she was sure he understood, "And I dunno what he's doing. There's always strange smells coming from his house and people going in there like they're hypnotized or something, all flushed with their eyes glazed over. And then he's always running off at random times to go crouch around in the dirt or the sand, shoving things in bags!"

She caught the glint of the knife from far away, making her go wide eyed, grabbing the sides of Cole's head by the cheeks out of pure excitement. "Look! A knife!"

It was a miracle that Ike hadn't noticed them yet.

「 @LashL @TerraBooma 」

code by wren.

 

[TerraBooma]

Their perp was on the move, and he wasn't really getting less suspicious. Cole had to admit he was a sketchy guy, and if he was going to run around sticking knives into trees, then the sarpa seemed to have a pretty good eye for this kind of thing. What had been a rather bored bit of action was turning into something that even he could get excited about. He couldn't help but smirk at the pink woman's reaction, watching her snake's fan out and hiss as he puffed black death into the air. He couldn't have expected her to bridge the gap quite so quickly from accomplice to interrogator though, as she gripped his collar and tossed his head like a bobble as he struggled to regather his senses. One thing was for certain; this Sarpa did lot more doing than pausing when the call for action came out.

That was alright though. He kinda liked it that way. Nothing like a little spontaneity to spice up paradise' boring day to day picturesqueness after all. Still, probably a good idea to roll back the head shaking before she gave him a concussion, his neck was going to give out before the cig at this rate. He laughed at the situation, countering softly as his eyes scanned where she was pointing him like a bloodhound being sent downwind.

"Listen. The beach'll be fine. The smoke's not gunna bother it. There's more when lightning strikes driftwood. Honestly, It's an impressive bit of credit you're giving me to say I could ruin this place in just a few seconds. It'd take at least half a day! No way he can smell it either. He ain't got special senses. Probably." Still, he held up his arms in a resigned shrug. "But hey, I'm the ride along today, so whatever you say boss. No smokes is no smokes." He lowered the dart, but hadn't gotten a chance to snuff it out yet as he slowly started to process what it was exactly he was dealing with, taking in her words and processing the scoop she was finally filling him in on. In the distance, smoke let out a distance caw; which wasn't helpful, but Cole couldn't chew out his familiar right that second.

"Wait, you're telling me people are walking into a place with glazed eyes and funny smells? Shit. I think we've found ourselves an underground enchanter. Woulda been nice to have a few wards for this one..." He tsked, but shrugged with a noncommittal air. "Alright. Gunna have to poke us with fire later. Only way to know our minds are secure; shocks the system straight or so I've been told. Honestly never been mind controlled....not that I can remember ever being mind controlled. Hm." His eyes dipped down to the smoke for a second, before Pash' calling brought him back to attention.

"I saw it! I got the crow remember!" He hissed back, louder than any of her head-buddies. In an attempt to free himself, Cole sidesteps backwards, but tumbles in the sand, sending himself sprawling out of cover and onto the exposed beach, letting out a loud oof and stuck watching Ike from a side sprawl on the floor. With an awkward chuckle, he waved as the jig was almost certainly up.

 

[LashL]

- I K E -
LOCATION | INTERACTIONS | MENTIONS​

Ike only managed to climb maybe ten feet up the tree, having tossed off his sandals and had begun the slow ascent towards the coconuts. From being a little higher in the air, Ike could see much more of the coastline, barely making out the more popular sections where brightly colored umbrellas and towels laid along the white sand beaches. He could also see a little better into the slightly more forested section of the trail, where he could almost make out someone dressed in mostly pink. "Hmmm... wonder who is coming down here?" Ike was about ready to ignore it and continue his climb when there was a loud thump and someone landing on the beach.

"Oh my goodness!" Ike would suddenly drop from the tree, thinking he would land on his feet but landing more with a tumble and a hard thud onto his rear. It didn't slow down the Libinite though, scrambling to his feet with sand scattering around, all to go check on the fellow who had fell over. "Are you alright mister?" Ike was quick to offer a hand, helping Cole to his feet. "You look like you took a hell of a tumble, might want to sit for a minute to be sure." He would offer a beaming smile before returning to his bag. While that coconut was still tempting, Ike knew where a few closer to his house were. He could easily grab a couple from the smaller trees and not have to spend too long getting up this one... then again.

"Actually... do you think you might be able to help me with something?" As if on cue, whether conscious or otherwise, Ike's pheromones would seep from the white haired body, occupying mostly the space where Cole stood. It was a sharp smell, something sweet and fresh, that always seemed to make the people around him all the more agreeable to what he was asking. Ike was not a very well trained Libinite, despite his father also being one, so he struggled to control the mood altering powers he had. At least they weren't the most potent, and enough fresh air like the two were sharing meant it could be resisted fairly easy if the person was good at picking out such things. "I need one of those coconuts for a project I am working on, and I'm well... I'm not the best climber. Was getting pretty beat, but you seem like you could handle it pretty well! So would you grab me one? Please? I can give you a couple bucks if that would help." As he was talking, he turned a little towards the trail, noticing that same pink haired gorgon from early today! "Oh hiya!" He would wave at her, having to tug his very loose shirt back up a little as he did, the dark blue material threating to come off with every wide movement. "What are you guys up to? Just enjoying the beach?"

@PavellumPendulum @TerraBooma

 

[PavellumPendulum]

hh

hh

PASHMINA

Blegh. She hated types like him. Smoking was one of the best ways to harm yourself, other people around you AND the place you lived! No matter how much you liked it, you'd be better off taking a merciful punch to the face from her daily if you had the audacity to keep ruining everything (of course, she had quite the strong opinion on it, but Pash usually felt pretty strongly about most things.) She ignored all of his casual attempts to reason with her, only accepting when he acquiesced to her demands. For now, there were more important things to argue about, but if she was going to be seeing him around more often, she was certain that they'd circle back to this topic one way or another.

Cole was of the mind that the man was some sort of underground enchanter. If so, he'd picked the wrong island to mess with. Pash was not the most influential or strongest lady in town, but she certainly wouldn't stand for anyone ruining Aeaea's peace with malicious activities. Alert and disturbed by the suggestion, Pash's wide eyes seemed to fill with all the possibilities of illicit activities, her jaw set with tension.

Still, when Cole fell backwards, she somehow did not clock that it was a smarter idea to let go of him in that moment, adrenaline doing nothing to shield her from the sand flying up into their faces. Pash narrowly managed to not fall on top of him, but seeing their target scramble over to them, she was the first to get up, bracing herself against a tree, mouth gaping open and ready to scream if he tried anything. They'd gotten too close. If they were suspected for their tailing, they'd have to answer for it now, far away from the eyes of the law.

Instead of brandishing that knife though, Ike, concerned as a mother hen, helped Cole up. Pashmina stood in disbelief, especially at being asked to help him, but when that sweet smell filled her senses, melted cotton candy straight to her neurons... Her pupils dilated, her snakes changing from up and ready to strike to slowly descending, going lax against her shoulders with dreamy hisses. With her already sensitive sense of smell, Pash might as well have seen Ike as a god in those moments.

"I'll help." her smile was bright, only slightly disoriented as she made her way towards the aforementioned coconut tree, brain in a fog.

「 @LashL @TerraBooma 」

code by wren.

 

[TerraBooma]

Cole Warfiln (and Smoke)
Fire Magi, Investigative Journalist, Snoop
Interactions: @LashL @PavellumPendulum ​

Cole wasn't exactly the strictest professional on the books, but "get caught snooping on the guy with a knife" was pretty bad as far as his alarm bells were concerned. Combat wasn't his forte, and if it came to a proper scrap, he wasn't sure his limited pyrokinesis would see him through without getting stabbed. Even if he won, it was kind of a pain in the ass; with all the bad press coming out east about Fire Magi that he was hearing from some of his journalism contacts, more random burns would be questioned to a degree of heat he wasn't ready to take on. That left running away, but Cole wasn't fond of leaving questions unanswered. If there really was some kind of underground enchanter on the scene, then he needed to get to the bottom of it. It promised to be a pretty lucrative paycheck. Sorry Pinky, but today just wasn't going to be your-

Wait. Pinky shit. Cole's eyes glanced towards the Sarpa (largely responsible for removing him from the hiding place anyway, in his opinion) and realized flight might not be much of an option for her. That complicated things. He had all but scrambled to his feet, picking up his cigarette so as not to leave behind some garbage or evidence as to who he was when he realized that the Sarpa wasn't going to be able to make the same escape he was. He'd taken two steps before pausing, trying to come up with some kind of solution that could get them both out when the scent hit.

It was almost sickly sweet. The way it flooded into Cole's brain and made everything seem just right. What was he worried about? It was an entirely reasonable question when you thought about it. Of course he wanted help. It was just climbing the tree to get some coconuts for a project, it would have been rude of him not to, really. Before Cole could go take care of it, his partner in crime solving had darted off to fufill the command. It was funny. The way her eyes had seemed to dialate back. A funny detail, why did it seem so important in the distant sparks of his mind? And could anyone else hear that infernal cawing?

While Cole's mind fought with the Libnite influences, his familiar had swooped into action. Whatever was going on inside of the reporter's head, it was loud and bird like as the black avian swooped past Pash with a loud "CAW" in her ear as it tried to snap her out of it. Smoke's master got a far less kind interaction, with Smoke catching his dart out of the air and dropping it back directly on Cole's head before attempting to run interferance on the whole coconut-sarpa situation once more.

"OW! Ash and Spark! Dammit Smoke, what'd you go and..." Staggering backwards, Cole's pupils seemed to readjust in the fresh air as he got some distance from Ike. He fished the cigarette out of his hair with a frenzy born of not wanting to be on fire, before standing with heaving chest across from Ike, camera in one hand. Smoke in the other. Staring down the mystery enchanter, Cole subconsciously snapped a photo of the guy's likeness, not with his camera but in the sand. A precise flame flash-frying the sand beneath him into a glass likeness.

"Hey! You go and holdup! What's your game, huh? Coconuts? Is that code for something? What's in there! Some kind of dead drop? The public deserves answers!" His eyes tracked the Sarpa in the dress, giving an uncomfortable looking sound as he glanced back at Ike. "You're an enchanter. Controlling minds. You didn't get mine, and you better let go of the Pinky's, or else!" Cole snapped, creating a small mote in his hand that flickered in the morning sky. Sure, the only reason it was that big was because he had the cigarette as kindling, and it smelled like ass, but it was probably the most impressive looking ability he could muster. He couldn't actually use it offensively of course: It would go out as soon as it left his hand. But this guy didn't know that, and that was what Cole had to count on.

 

[LashL]

- I K E -
LOCATION | INTERACTIONS | MENTIONS​

"Oh, thank you miss!" Ike wasn't even sure what was going on, but was super glad people were so willing to lend a hand. The two people suddenly being on the beach was only the beginning of the crazy for Ike, though, as the fire magi's familiar began to swoop around all over the place. At first, Ike just gawked at the creature, having not seen one in some time, probably since he moved away from the big city. Then, it began to caw and fuck around with the two strangers and Ike sprung into action. "Hey! Shoo! You jerk!" He would wave his hands wildly to try and get it to fly off, but it refuses to budge from his mission.

Then came flying in not another bird, but accusations from the magi that had Ike starting to worry. "W-wait.. dead drop... code.. enchanter?!?!" Ike would take a few steps back, his face a confused frown as he quickly put the knife back into his bag. "No no, I just... I uhm... I just needed the coconut, okay! It's just a coconut, I am trying to figure out how to make something smell like the beach, thats it!" It never did occur to Ike to just say what his career was, or just be a bit more open. Then again, this random dude was threatening him with what looked like some kind of fireball, so Ike had everyr ight to be scared. "Look man! Im not an enchanter... I don't even know any magic! I am a Libinite!" He would huff, stomping his feet a little as the fear and confusion melted into annoyance.

"I don't know what you are thinking I am doing, I am not!." He would adjust the strap to his bag, opening to show to the both of them his bag. In it was filled with various baggies, vials, and other containers, as well as a few bottles of perfume he was wanting test out in the open to see what people thought. Nothing nefarious, the worst item in the bag was the knife that Ike had just been holding. "See! I don't even have any like... uhm... whatever you think I am doing, I am just collecting ingredients!" Slowly, Ike would calm down, wiping his eyes before allowing his shoulders to sink a bit, taking a few deep breaths before trying instead to just extend his hand, giving the others a charming smile. "Lets... let's try just taking a breath and trying to meet each other again. My name is Ike McKay. What's yours?"

@PavellumPendulum @TerraBooma

 

[PavellumPendulum]

hh

hh

PASHMINA

She wondered what she'd gotten so wound up about. Ike was the prettiest person she'd ever laid eyes on and all she needed to do to help him was get him a coconut? Really, it was an honour to help a friend in need and who was she to deny him the simple pleasure of a fresh coconut? Pash's open flats collected handfuls of sand as she made her way over to the trees, eyeing the best place to rest her feet so that she could find some purchase on the trunk, where to put her hands, how-

Her hands flew to her ears, her snakes suddenly in a frenzy from the loud cawing, wringing themselves into tangles as their fight or flight instincts flailed. The fog dissipated, the sweet scent cycling out of her lungs and being replaced with the familiar tinge of hot sea salt that the beach carried. Pash spun around, pink eyes whirling in circles at the sudden whiplash, her finger pointed towards Ike accusingly. However, unlike Cole, who managed a slew of denunciations and assertions, Pash only half-stumbled over every single syllable she'd ever learned in the english language, sputtering, "Y-You, wh-wha, stop the- quit it with- don't-"

In a rush, she threw herself back towards Cole, so that if another charm attack happened, she could pull him further away and hopefully out of range, but the stranger's stammering made her halt in her tracks, expression wary. A libitine...? Her snakes, still dazed, hissed weakly. Her hands gripped Cole's shoulders, her eyes narrowing, "I-I don't... We can't trust him, Cole...! He used his libitine powers or whatever on us!" Her whispers were far too loud, but in her panic, her attempts at an indoor voice were even worse than usual.

She tugged Cole back and away, projecting her voice as best as she could to seem intimidating with her warning, even though her voice cracked against her will, "Don't come any closer...!"

「 @LashL @TerraBooma 」

code by wren.

 

[TerraBooma]

Cole Warfiln (And Smoke)
Fire Magi, Investigative Journalist, Snoop
Interactions: @LashL @PavellumPendulum
​

Things escalated. They tended to do that when you confronted criminal masterminds, but Cole usually preferred to have tougher and meaner looking backup than a charm-vulnerable Sarpa when he did his big parlor room moments. It was fun to bring down the hammer of truth for sure; that was one of the reasons that he had gotten into this whole journalism gig. Digging into things people wanted to hide and exposing their dirty little secrets. That tended to make enemies though, and enemies were usually pretty good at inflicting violence when you had powerful secrets they didn't want exposed.

The good news was that Pinky had come to her senses after a ride-by crowstorm from Smoke. The woman fled back to his side, and the pair of them grouped up like one would to fend off a predator- swaying arms likely to scare off a bear or a larger cat, but woefully little to a master criminal that bewitched minds with a simple wave of their hand.

"Mckay, you better watch your step. Or you're stepping in for a world of hurt." Cole's voice held low, like a man trying to ward off a beast in the night; waving his small flickering mote of flame that seemed to die with every passing second as the cigarette burned up. The smell continued to be horrid, but maybe that would provide a layer of natural protection against this guy? Cole suddenly glanced back to Pashamina cursing under his breath- whatever attacks this guy had planned, it was clear that she was going to be vulnerable to them. They'd have to rely on Smoke to snap them out of anything overly suspicious, but it was impossible to tell when they were entranced unless they did something overly suspicious...and that might be too late.

"Cole Warfiln. Private Reporter. You've got some questions to answer if you're really as innocent as you claim. And don't you try and slither away on us!" He pointed assertively with his camera hand, before Smoke darted behind him and grabbed the glass likeness from the beach before hovering in the air around them. "Just a libnite, huh? Then why is it we've got reports of individuals leaving your residence entranced? If your charm is so benign you'd hardly be infected the masses! So give it up! How many have you enthralled? What are you planning, some kind of robbery? Are you after the government? Who do you work for!? You might not be a mage, but you're clearly some kind of alchemist." He was breathing through his mouth, which he had to admit made him less cool than he was hoping, but might provide a measure of defense against the sweet scent.

"We're just looking for answers, 'Mckay', if that is your true name. Just tell us who you're working for, and maybe you can be the hero of this story. No need to go down for a couple of crooks eh?" His eyes flashed from behind the sunglasses, trying to get a read for Ike's body heat. Maybe it'd give an insight to if the man was lying or not about what came next. "Besides. Everyone knows that a beach is a beach because of the seawater coming over the breeze. You wouldn't just be collecting coconuts if scents are what you were looking for!"

 

[LashL]

- I K E -
LOCATION | INTERACTIONS | MENTIONS​

Ike had been surrounded.

He wasn't sure why he was, or what these two wanted with him, but it seems they were utterly convinced that he was trying to turn people into some kind of mind controlled soldiers! Or... something like that, Ike was honestly confused on what was going on. As that small mote of awful-smelling fire burned in his face, Ike's body was starting to really enter fight or flight. "I dont know what your talking about!" The fear in his body was only making his pheromones worse, the nature of the libinite to charm whatever threatens them only growing as the light fog seemed to roll off his body. The questions only seemed to barrel down on poor Ike, who looked like he was nearing tears from all the accusations. Though, there was one positive from all this, a tip on how the smell of the beach that would connect in Ike's brain even over all the confusion.

Then there was Pash, that pink haired gorgon who seemed nearing fear, and that only made Ike's heart sink further. What had he done? Was it something he wasn't even aware of? This was too much, too much for him to handle, he had to leave. "I-... I'm sorry! I just wanted people to smell good! I don't know what you want with me! J-just.. leave me alone!" With that shout of a cornered animal, the young libinite turned and booked it, his flip flops being kicked off and the the man ran quickly through the sand back towards the tree line. As he moved along, a few small vials of his perfume flinged out of the bag, the clear liquid landing softly on the white sand. "I'm innocent!" Was the last echoing call as he made it further and further away from that beach, from those two strangers. He was quick to hop back onto his bike, shirt long since fallen and rested deep off his shoulders, practically showing off most of his chest as he pedaled back down the boardwalk, back down the twisting roads of the town he lives in, back to his small little home, and the door slammed and lock. ONly then could he take a deep breath, sinking to the floor with a little cry.

So much for going out today.
@PavellumPendulum @TerraBooma