～ beach

@⚘ : vera s 。 He didn't hide his excitement; they beamed through his smile, his eyes crinkling into soft crescents. "I'll need to learn a lot from your crew members - it seems to me that they are going to round me up." He said, but he was smiling, taking her hand in his. His body temperature was a little lower, as he was a Thalassan. So as their hand touched, he blinked, slightly surprised at how warm she was. "Sorry, my hand must be a bit colder than yours," Erwin said softly, pulling away gently and grasped the strap of his backpack.

"Anyways, where should I start? Oh, and I don't think there's some sort of initiation phase, right? Like, no blood spill or 'Arrrr --" Erwin said, clearing his throat when he noticed Vera' eyes on him and he must have looked ridiculous. "Sorry. So, Captain, I'll be under your care from now on."

@♆ : erwin l 。 She laughed out loud but shrugged her shoulders afterwards, flexing her arm for dramatic effect. "I mean you never know so you better be careful~!" Humming Vera spun around a few times as she took in the familiar, and maybe even comforting sight, of all the ships docked at the harbor. She had turned around to say something but instead settled on watching him in amusement. She hadn't the faintest idea what was going on in his head but he seemed so fascinated by the sea vessels that she decided to give him another minute or so to admire them. With a shrug she started making her way back towards the ship, "it's all a matter of perspective but hey at least you get to experience it now!"

Vera wasn't to blush but it would a lie if she said his words didn't make her feel a certain way. She just felt happy a stranger like him could already feel so strongly about her, despite her underlying surprise she couldn't make herself vulnerable so with a smile she replied. "I could've told you that." She almost wanted to snort at what he called rude. Tapping her foot she weighed over her options although really she already didn't have any reasons to object. Sure it would be another mouth to feed but he was useful since right now it was mainly her working with the tech but she didn't know nearly enough as she needed too. Almost three minutes passed before she looked at Erwin and smiled, holding out her hand. "Yeah alright. I don't usually take in people at the drop of a hat but you can help me round up those scoundrels I call crew members."

@⚘ : ezre l 。 the world was made as pristine with the ash bluish grey sky as the landscape for the photoshoot, clouds hanging on the sky and reducing the glaring sun rays through to the ground. even as dawn approaches, the sun still served as a perfect, natural lighting deemed suitable for the summer concept of the clothes. if it wasn't for the sunscreen she had put on earlier, she could have become a roasted pig over the past few hours, her sole of the feet burning from the volcano-like heat. shuhua's hair cascaded down to her shoulders as she pace herself around the beach, posing with a surfboard on hand standing next to her friend, ezre. the once lone figure of shuhua was now accompanied by her friend's presence and she couldn't be more thankful for their collaboration. the collaboration of the two best models for the lahfina's fashion line produced immediate, speedy results: evident in the shorter span of time spent for photoshoots and the striking poses.

there was no better ending to the photoshoot than to be submerged in the ocean, splashing water at one another and enjoying the coolness amidst the heat. nonetheless, when it ended, the stylists immediately offered the two ladies a thick bath towel to wrap themselves in, beads of water droplets trickling down their body and the curls of shuhua's hair had faded off, now dripping wet. upon ezre's questioning, shuhua nodded eagerly, eyes crinkling and pure euphoria flickered in the pools of her eyes. the adrenaline she received replaced the previous weariness she had and she was now more than excited to spend time with her friend, forming an immediate response to her enquiry. ' i'd love to ezez. what kind of food does my lovely friend crave for? '

no doubt, shuhua's wandering eyes glanced over to the men in black suit. those 'bodyguards' ezre had were annoying, and seorella could get rid of them easily, but the bodyguards weren't aware of her real identity, do they? getting rid of the security system the lahfina parents built up for ezre would only mean provoking the powerful family, and her fate would be beyond doomed. truly, seorella wasn't afraid- she just wanted to have some privacy with ezre. she loathed how ezre's family were disregarding her opinions and not letting her lead the lifestyle anyone has the right to- perhaps, it was because she was the sole inheritor of the corrupted company. with the family being displeased the inheritor was a daughter instead of a son, they vented their frustrations on their daughter, causing emotional distress to ezre, with ezre often calling seorella up to rant and pour her innermost desires, heartfelt feelings out to the trusted friend. despite seorella being someone who was bought with money to cover up the crime lahfina's commited, ezre was different from the family, and she accepted seorella's true identity, something not many know of. deep down, seorella was grateful to be a friend of ezre, but at the same time, she was also indignant for her. indignant because she was born in a family like this, and wanted her parents to let her off the hook for once.

often, the bodyguards were invading the personal space ezre had. the sight of the built men had seorella huffed in annoyance before she clicks on her tongue. knowing the lahfina's directly, shuhua was probably one of the few that could help her out of the situation. ' now that you're with me, can those men go? i'd speak to your parents about it, because we're supposed to have a ladies' dine-out and we wouldn't want them to spoil the mood, ugh. '

@⚘ : vera s 。 Erwin gasped dramatically, a hand covering his mouth. "Are you perhaps, Popeye's sacred pupil?" He couldn't help but chuckle seconds after, shaking his head at his lame joke. Erwin continued checking out the ships, his hold on his backpack and luggage tightens as he stared at the metallic giant in awe. They were beautiful, he thought to himself. This was something that he had always wanted to see, back in the ocean. The sight the Thalassan called Terran's aquatic animal. Sometimes, he would hear of another type of transportation, but he had never seen them since the Terran would never use the submarine close to the home of Thalassan. It was in the peace treaty agreement. "I missed out a lot living underneath there." He said, turning to Vera.

Erwin walked closer to Vera, standing in front of her ship. "The Goddess must be shining her light on me. You're truly one kind of a girl." He whispered, smiling at Vera. If he follows Vera around, he'll probably get to experience more, see and learn more. And he's not going to waste this opportunity by staying at a place, only travelling during holidays. "Hey, Vera. This might be off, awkward or rude, but do you need another crew member? I'm good with a lot of things, especially technology."

@♆ : erwin l 。 Vera quite enjoyed the night. It was a bit chilly but nothing to worry about. She wasn't worried about any encounters cause while it is true that crimes were more likely to be committed during the cover of the night she had her fair share of experience with toughened and rugged males that some mere street criminal no longer scared her. It was more of an inconvenience to her especially since she didn't know if Erwin could defend himself and even though she hated to admit just yet, she felt like they could be friends and didn't want him to get hurt. Snorting she leaned over and playfully elbowed his arm. "Yes you do cause while broccoli and I don't mix, spinach and I have a very mutually loving relationship."

She nodded, making a soft noise of acknowledgment. That made a lot of sense now that she thought about it, she proudly ran over to her ship and twirled her arm, that warm feeling coming and spreading down to the tips of her fingers at the pure amazement she found in his eyes. No one had ever looked at her or her ship like that before. "Good question. I never bothered to try and figure it out though, somewhere in the fifties, sixties." She frowned as she turned to her ship and tried to imagine it teeming with Terrans.

@⚘ : vera s 。 Erwin grabbed on his luggage and pulled it with him, following after Vera. He skipped a few steps, wanting to match his steps with Vera and walked side by side with her. He walked on her right since it was next to the road. It was late at night and Erwin wasn't sure how safe this place was. He heard a lot about the crimes on the land, how some people would use motorbikes to commit crimes. But on second thought, Vera had taken down a whole ship of pirates, should he be worried about her safety? He chuckled softly at her words. "So, you can't handle broccoli. That's a bit unexpected from the girl who beat up pirates. I'll have to be very careful then."

Erwin followed Vera all the way to the dock where ships were parked and stared at all of them, astonished and amazed. "I live pretty deep in the ocean so I rarely see the ships. I heard that they're gigantic but I didn't think it would be this big. Vera, how many people can board a ship like this?"

@♆ : erwin l 。 Vera didn't mind that he was mostly listening, in a way it comforted her as it showed that there was someone willing to listen. Growing up her father had always silenced her whether it be her ideals or inquiries he always shot her down. It's also not like there were people waiting in line wanting to actually speak to Vera and hear the responses she had to give, it made an unfamiliar warm feeling pass through her. "Yep! Heh I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, although most pirates aren't so scary. They're always underestimating me just because I'm a woman so it makes it easy for me to catch them off guard." She was caught off guard since even as a joke no one had spoken nicely of Vera in any capacity. With a shy shrug she laughed as well. "Eat broccoli."

She nodded excitedly, pleased that he had picked up on what she had been trying to imply. "Of course! Come follow me~!" Happily she started to skip down the pavement in the direction of the docks, turning to him with confusion painted on her features. "Of course it does, it's floating in the sea as we speak..."

@♆ : seorella w 。 in ezre's ever so humble opinion, she believed that having the guards near her would just draw more suspicion, though she supposed the others would just eat it up as her parents being protective of their one and only daughter. that was what the media had said about the security around her being, but of course, none of them knew of the facts. the guards were there to prevent her from attempting to escape or run away. while she was confident in her own skills, she had never been the one to go head to head directly with men twice her size, and if she had her way, she would have preferred them dead even before they noticed she was there at all. but she couldn't just dismiss them, even when all she had to do was go to a bathroom. uncomfortable, sure, but there wasn't anything much she could do.

perhaps she could use seorella to escape later on, but how she was going to do that... she wasn't quite aware of it yet. but the gears in her head were starting to turn. that was a plan she would have to focus on more later on. for now, she would just have to pour most of her attention to her shoot to be done with it — after all, seorella might be a useful variable.

and anything useful? ezre would just have to exploit it.

she only let a polite smile paint over her lips as she walked toward the place they were supposed to start at. she had done her solo shots earlier, and this would be her last shoot of the day. she thought she would be able to rest immediately right after, but it seemed as though seorella was going to ask her out on a friendly date later on. to catch up, but that would mean ezre would have to gauge just how much the other knew about the lafihna. as far as she was concerned, the two models were close friends, and seorella was aware of the lafihnas' shady system — except the cult; that one was a very well hidden organization — but other than that... what did the younger know?

the photoshoot started off easily. the two were professionals, after all — two of the very best the city had to offer. and as a result, it went by just as smoothly, and they had to change into another set of bikinis. the last of their shoot involved being in the actual ocean, right when the sun was about to set — and after that, they were done! while the staff helped the girls dry up, ezre wandered to seorella's direction and shot her a mischievous smile. "say, shushu, would you like to go out for dinner tonight? i missed you, truly."

@⚘ : vera s 。 Erwin smiled happily seeing as Vera was enjoying herself talking about the things she loved about exploration and adventure. He had never met anyone that had the same interest as him. No one in Thalassan could even compare to Vera. She could brighten up the whole room if she wanted to and that something Erwin appreciate. He was not much of a talker as he was more of a listener. "Are you serious? You escaped their clutch and you even got the treasure? Please do tell me all about it later. What can't you do at this point?" He chuckled softly.

Erwin blinked, finally catching up to her words. He took it as the green light so he turned to Vera, smiling softly. "Hey, is it okay if I stay on your ship for a night? Since I need to be close to the water. I'll take any room you can give but does your ship has access to the sea?"

@♆ : erwin l 。 "Exactly! Aw I love meeting new people and learning their cultures, learning why they think, speak, and act the way they do." Her eyes glimmered with unabashed enthusiasm as once again they just seemed to click seamlessly. She hadn't met one other person besides her crew full of fools who wanted to leave the island but even they didn't have the capacity for wanting to grow and mature. Once again her chest was puffed out from pride as she confidently flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Mm it's a nice life really, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I do have some stories although I try to stay away from pirates most of the time." Her nose wrinkled in distaste as she thought of her last encounter with a rambunctious group of swashbuckling buccaneers. "Last I met them they were upset at me for taking what they said was their treasure. Let's just say only one of us left that island but I'll tell you more about that later~!"

Of course she knew where the capsule hotel was but the second he said he needed to be as close to the water as possible a lightbulb went off in her head. Admittedly it was once again for her own convenience and not about his safety, for if he spent the night at a hotel she'd have to come back, wait for him, show him her ship⁠—ugh it was already driving her up a wall just thinking about it⁠—without wasting a second she looked up at him expectantly, hoping he'd get the hint. "Well a ship is awfully close to water."

@⚘ : vera s 。 The sudden surge of energy to his confidence that came from Vera's words made him very happy. No one had believed in him that he could be great out here. Especially his family. They thought that there was no point to go far away just to gain success. Success can be achieved at home, too, and his father used to say. He wanted to thank Vera for her kind words, but she was quick to move from one topic to another. Erwin was excited to hear her stories too. He nodded his head at her question, smiling from ear to ear. "You get me. That would be wonderful, traveling across the world and experiencing the culture, meet new people."

"The fact that you travel to many different islands is so amazing. I'm impressed and a bit jealous that you already get to do that." He continued, looking at Vera with wide eyes. "Pirate treasures? Do you do that sort of things too? That's so cool. Do you have like a story about that?"

He eyed his watch for a second before looking up to Vera apologetically. "It's almost midnight. I need to head over to the capsule hotel, or I might have to sleep on a bench. Do you know a shortcut to get there? Or do you know a closer place? I need to be as close to the water as possible."

@♆ : erwin l 。 Vera didn't know the exact specifics of a nemi but it seemed like he had a plan so she didn't press further. "Alright, that sounds like the best route." Feeling his determination almost moved something in her, she didn't know what it was as she had been feeling awfully good lately, but she patted his back. "Whatever it is you wanna achieve I'm sure you'll get it."

She nodded excitedly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, which to her it was. "Of course! I'd love to go down and explore....as a sailor I typically only see what's on the surface...." her voice started to fade as she into a daydream before she quickly snapped herself out of it, "I'm sure you thought something similar about being on land right?" She didn't know how he felt or what life he lived but she imagined that if their roles were switched she'd want to explore the land as much as she wants to explore the sea at the present moment. Her smile widened seeing his response.

"Yep! I travel to many different islands!" She couldn't help the surge of pride as she boasted about herself. It felt nice finally being able to show off to someone who seemed genuinely interested. "Sometimes I people to different while other times I transport goods, it just depends honestly. I also go on my own adventures like if I hear there's gold somewhere I'll sneak out and try to get to it before the pirates do."

@⚘ : ezre l 。 bright summer sun blared overhead, with not a single cloud to obstruct sun rays as people were dressed in their bikinis, either suntanning, or playing volleyball. shuhua would much rather be in their position, though she knew it wouldn't happen since she's often lazy and preferred to stay in an air-conditioned room then be out in the sun. her work life was hectic - and all she ever yearn to do is to get ample rest. that is, if she got a choice to made, but her job scope did not permit her to make choices, she wasn't given any choices to begin with. it was the persona seorella have taken afterall, as yeh shuhua, a renowned model in the industry. perhaps, many undermine modelling was a profession, assuming it's merely posing for the camera and to look good, but does not know what's behind the scenes. it required being under harsh weather conditions, sticking to one pose for several hours before gaining approval, and partnering with people she's unfamiliar with or even dislike — but that can be kind of over-generalising because not all photoshoots are that bad. one evident photoshoot that didn't fit into the general categorisation would be this one — to have a photoshoot with her own close friend, ezre. this was a rare opportunity given to the two of them, but somehow, an uneasy feeling permeates within her heart. the lahfinas, or otherwise ezre's parents have known of her identity as seorella and have been working together for years — but this photoshoot of allowing their daughter to work with seorella's persona definitely meant they had an agenda... but for what?

the intimidating men dressed in black came off as no surprise to shuhua and her co-workers, knowing how much ezre was sought after as a rich inheritor and these 'bodyguards' were there to 'protect and ensure her safety'. the lahfinas didn't want anything to happen to their precious daughter, right? in all honesty, seorella knew bits and piece of ezre's sufferings, but kept numb about it because her family was too powerful, had way too much power in their hands that could silence seorella without a word, and she had to be careful. ezre did rant to her about her lack of freedom, how her parents treat her... but that's all she knew. she was limited to the mere information ezre supplier, but at least she knew a bit to keep her guard up.

shuhua pulls away from the embrace before whistling away, her eyebrows wriggling teasingly at her friend for the bikini she had worn. she've never really seen ezre in a bikini before, with insufficient time to go for a beach outing and also because ezre was a prominent figure in the fashion industry. without wasting the precious time they share together, she tugs the female to the front of the camera before replying, ' mhm, the future ceo lady is as busy as always. i've been pretty busy as well, with many upcoming projects coming at once. you ebtter make sure to spare some time for me after this photoshoot, alright? let's get to work so we can spend more time together! we got lots of catching up to do. shall we get started? ' she then enquires the camera director who's adjusting the focal lenses of the camera, waiting for him to prompt the fellow ladies.

@⚘ : vera s 。 Erwin stopped moving when he found that Vera leaned into his side more. He looked down to the map in his hand, nodding his head. "I was thinking of finding a job that can keep me close to the saltwater. Maybe I could find a job on a boat or the beach." He explained, nodding his head. In one way or another, he couldn't risk losing his nemi yet. He needed it in case his family tried to search for him, and when he became successful in the future. Then, he could go home to his family, proud of his achievements. "I came here for a reason, and I'm not leaving until I achieve it."

"You'd jump right in?" Erwin asked, a bit curious at her words. He tilted his head to a side, eyes blinking, trying to make sense of the thing Vera had just told him. Well, Erwin would understand the interest in the ability to breath in water. When he was younger, he had felt that too, that in a way, he was special. But as Erwin grew, his father had limited him, and Erwin watched his friends flourishing and achieving their dreams. He blinked his eyes when Vera jumped away from him. He nodded his head at her question, listening to her quietly.

A ship? Not a boat but a ship? Erwin felt an overwhelming sense of admiration for the other. She seemed to be entirely around his age, and she already had a ship and not to forget, Vera was also the captain of the said ship. "That's so cool. You're so cool. What kind of business do you do that you're working on a ship, Vera? Do you sail from place to place?"

@♆ : erwin l 。 "Good! I knew I could trust you." Even though she was tired she was also bursting with energy. He didn't seem like he would high tail it out of her prescence in fear of her wrath, which she had to laugh at cause she didn't have the time nor the energy, but it didn't matter. There was only one other person who made her this comfortable. With a shrug she chalked it up to her sleepiness.

With a nod she crossed her arms, kind of surprised but not really to learn he's a Thalassan. "Exactly! They let all that power go to their heads."

Vera nodded slightly she dazed off somewhere in the distance, her voice coming off as a soft mumble. "Yeah I guess so." Seeing him flustered again she smirked and leaned in again playfully just to see his reaction. "Won't you be in trouble if you stay here? Also your nemi will dry up." So many questions swirled through her mind and as shallow as it might seem they didn't really stem from concern but more from her own curiosity.

It took her a moment to process his words before a smile stretched onto her lips again. "Well if I could breath underwater I'd jump right in." She was excited again as evident by the way she literally jumped away from him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You want to travel you say? Well...perhaps I have a ship and perhaps I'm captain of said ship."

@⚘ : vera s 。 Erwin leaned in as well when she leaned in, fingers waving lightly at him as if to tell a secret. He couldn't help but smile at her words, nodding his head. He placed an index finger to his lips and winked back. "I promised it would be a secret between us." It was so much fun to have met someone as easygoing Vera. He knew that the Terran wasn't bad. There would always be kind and evil, and it depended on each. Erwin chuckled when she giggled, smiled when she smiled and listened intently when she talked.

"They always seem to swing their badges around too much, even in Thalassan," Erwin said, humming in agreement.

Erwin seemed to notice the sudden closeness, but he didn't say anything when Vera has been offering a warm welcome, and she appeared to be willing to help him. "Oh, is this place your hometown? You must know a lot of great places here." He turned his head slightly to face her, feeling his face so close to the other. He leaned away slightly. "Yeah. I, I'm not here on vacation. I think you already figured me out at this point. I'm thinking of staying here, in Terran. I want to explore Terran."

"Must have sounded very cringy. A Thalassan searching for a new home in Terran," Erwin said, smiling at Vera. "But, I'm thinking of traveling from this town to another. I think it would be a waste just to stay here forever. What do you think?"

@♆ : erwin l 。 Vera was delighted to find that he wasn't getting upset, in fact he was playing along! Many had found her personality too carefree and stated many times that it would be her downfall. She was tired of hearing how reckless she was a million times over so the fact that this stranger was playing along with her a chord within her as she winked jokingly at him. "Don't worry even if you end up behind bars I won't let anything happen!" At this she leaned in as if to tell a secret. "Got some mates up in there you know?" She tried to be serious but her facade easily shattered as she burst into giggles.

"Thank you." She took a moment to eye him suspiciously, after all not many opposed the authorities but seeing how wary he was of them, she sighed and relented. "I just hate how pompous they are. Always thinking their word is the law without, they always say they're here to help us but really they just help those above them and treat those below them like dust. Makes me sick."

She tilted her head at his question before nodding. "Yeah I am, well kind of, anyway all you need to known is I've been here most of my life!" This was proudly exclaimed as she looked down at his map again. Since he was closer she didn't think twice as she leaned her head on his arm, naturally being a touchy person. "You looking to go somewhere?"

sitting in the sand, her knees to her chest and her eyes on the sand before her, she exhales a gentle sigh along with a quiet mumble.
how do i quit?

[post deleted by owner]

@♆ : seorella w 。 for ezre, freedom was a limited item — one that she couldn't buy no matter how rich she was unless the sellers themselves wanted to give it to her. she had never liked the implications that she had to beg for it if she wanted it, and she never did. if the lafihnas weren't going to give it to her, then she wasn't going to ask for it. rather, she would take it — though there were surprises at times, where she would suddenly be allowed a quarter of that freedom. an example of that was today, actually. whenever she was holding her photoshoot, it was usually solo, and on the rare times she had a partner, it was very brief and someone that she most likely wouldn't be able see again. so for the lafihnas to allow her to share a photoshoot with seorella—or in this case, shuhua—meant that the lafihnas were planning something. they were expecting something out of this, though she wasn't quite sure what it was exactly.

nevertheless, she had no choice but to go along with it. she didn't have enough power for it — not just yet.

she threaded through the beach with the lafihna staff near her. two men by the back to make sure she wouldn't escape, her personal assistant and manager by her front — she wouldn't be able to slip away undetected even if she wanted to. as far as her skills for stealth came, she still hadn't mastered the art of becoming completely invisible. unlike before, she couldn't just kill her way through this either. that would just anger her parents even more, which definitely wasn't what she should do (but she would take the opportunity to do so, as long as she was certain there wouldn't be too... serious consequences regarding it). she could hear the photoshoot even in the distance, and she slid her sunglasses up to her hair as she arrived at the scene of the photoshoot.

ezre was already in her outfit for the shoot when she arrived. clad in a dark bikini that clung to her figure nicely, her hair was styled in wavy curls, her locks flowing just a little past her shoulders. a see-through robe laid upon her figure. it revealed far too much of her skin, though it was nothing she wasn't used to. her days as a hitman gave her enough experience to be comfortable in such attires. a smile easily painted over her lips at the sight of a familiar face — familiar, because it was one she'd seen in the files far too often, and her parents had engraved the faces of those who had relations with her twin sister in her mind. she let the other wrap her arms around ezre, before she eased up and s her own around the other's loosely. "shushu!" was ezre's nickname for the model, as far as the younger twin was concerned. "it's been a while, hasn't it? i missed seeing your little self as well," she continued on, still smiling. "well... i've been busy here and there. what about you? how have you been?"

@⚘ : ezre l 。 the rising sun came over the azure blue waters of the horizon, casting beautiful red and orange lights as a perfect backdrop for the photoshoot. moving all around the island, they were finally at the last venue for the photoshoot for the summer catalogue of the famous fashion company — lahfina before calling it a day. shuhua was the face of the brand, a permanent ambassador that has always been with the company due to her friendship with ezre, and therefore, way too familiar with the staff members and protocol. the twenty one year old model joined the company not long ago and her job was to endorse for certain products, sticking with lahfina the most. she recalled how their friendship blossomed that allowed shuhua to have such a great opportunity working for ezre: though ezre is the sole heiress to succeeding her parents' business, but that didn't stop ezre from remaining humble and friendly towards shuhua, and they ended up becoming close friends with one another. shuhua couldn't forget how kind ezre was towards her, and befriending her even when she and her family knew about her real identity as seorella. building on the mutual trust they had for one another, shuhua always worked hard for the company and ensured she did her job well so that her friend wouldn't have a hard job mainitaining her figure in the company.

lighting props were set up, clothing racks were hanged with all sorts of clothes branded with lahfina, as shuhua sat under the umbrella with the make-up artist touching up her foundation and lip tint. it was the last venue — the beach, the most prominent icon of the season of summer. sundresses, swimwears, etc, shuhua had to dress in these clothings and proceed with photoshoot. cladded in an one-piece swimwear, shuhua patiently waited for ezre's arrival. it was the first time her close friend was overseeing her photoshoot and doing one with shuhua despite their years of friendship. the camera shutters sounded continuously as the photographer took some solo shots of shuhua in the one-piece swimwear, prompting her to do different poses and she complies readily.

' click! change your pose! stay there! ' the photographer hollered at shuhua, as the female figure continues to shoot professionally even under the blazing hot sun. after a short while, her solo photoshoot was done and she could spot a familiar figure walking over from the carpark. shuhua's eyes twinkled in delight, knowing it was none other than her close friend that she hasn't met for ages. excitement rushed through her veins as shuhua dashed to her, coiling her arms around ezre. ' i missed you ezre! i hope you've been well. how have you been doing? '

"did i not tell you to be careful?" asks an energetic but disappointed enzhe as he hooks an arm around his sister's neck, giving her a noogie despite her injury and messing up her hair just the fun of it. his head shakes in a side to side sway when he looks in her direction, but he's soon to drag up one corner of his lips in a smirk and fix her up again. "you okay, guppy?"

@⚘ : chryseis f 。 it was one of those days when she was free from duties at the army camp and rielle was determined to spend it to the fullest that she could. the thing she thought was best to do? it was to visit the beach. she'd heard talks among the people of her kind that there had been an increase in interactions between them and the terrans recently, and she wanted to see it for herself. she figured it'd most probably be better than to stay put in a place where nobody welcomed her after all.

with her knife safely tucked away in one of her belt loops, rielle made her way up towards the surface and emerged from the surface of the sparkling water, her nemi sparkling away in the sun as though she was made of pure glitter instead of skin. the sight before her caught her breath. it was simply breathtaking. who knew that the view above water could be just as, if not even more beautiful than the view underwater.

she'd barely been taking in the view before her when a girl had approached her causing her to flinch slightly in surprise, her hand instantly reaching for her knife out of instinct, pulling it out of it's case and pointing it at the girl's neck but at the sight of how innocent the girl looked, and how unsure she felt, rielle slowly lowered her knife, tucking it back into it's case as she looked at her, her face void from emotions but her eyes filled with just as much curiosity. who was she? nobody ever approached her first so it was a pleasant surprise that someone was actually willing to take the first step and say hi to her.

"hello.." rielle's voice came out stoic and cold despite her not meaning to. "who are you?"

@⚘ : vera s 。 Erwin laughed at the girl's question, shaking his head. The only thing he was good at was working with computers. Even if that route offered him more money, he wouldn't take it. It wasn't something that had any worth for him. He couldn't be upset when Vera was pretty playful with her choice of words and tone that made him play along too. "Don't tell anyone or I'll get caught. I won't survive behind bars."

"Vera, it's a lovely name," he said as he let the name rolled over his tongue, now keeping it deep in his heart for that Vera would be a special person he would remember by the end of his journey. "Go on. Between you and me, I don't like authorities too."

Erwin looked at Vera before he glanced over at his hand that held the map. "Vera, are you perhaps, a local? Do you know this place?" He asked, letting her see his map once more. He leaned slightly closer to her since she was closer to the light source in front of the beach store.

@♆ : erwin l 。 She lightly jumped up and down in excitement as she finally saw that he was no longer tense. It was nice seeing him smile after seeing practically quivering, but she couldn't complain. After all she had been the cause of it in the first place. She was also glad to see that he wasn't too upset if at all because again it was way too late to be dealing with an angry man. With another shrug she playfully tapped his suitcase again. "Why? You got some coke in here? Haha but nah I just felt like it, that's how I am." It was obvious she wasn't apologetic but Vera could only hope that once again he wouldn't get too upset.

"Nice to meet ya Erwin! I'm Vera, definitely not a policewoman pfft over my dead body would I--" she shook her head as she quite literally forced her rambling to end before smiling back up at him, "but yeah it's nice seeing such a lovely face."

@⚘ : vera s 。 Erwin stayed rooted as the policewoman circled him and he tried not to flinch when he felt his bag being tapped. He didn't bring anything illegal, just clothes and essential documents, nothing else. He wouldn't get caught for smuggling items, Erwin thought to himself. He waited until the policewoman had finished her observation, slightly startled when she laughed - bright smile and bubbly laughter. Somewhat, he was amused because the policewoman had a pretty smile, and that made him smile too. Erwin knew that he was supposed to be angry or offended, but he couldn't help but feel relief. He cast a huge smile, shaking his head. "Why did you do that? You scared me for a second there."

He joined the girl, their laughter watering down into light chuckles. Erwin fixed the straps of his backpack once more and cleared his throat. "Erwin. It's nice to meet a friendly face around here. And you are?"

@♆ : rielle h 。 soft, waltzing melodies found solace on the terran's lips as she strolled through the alabaster sands, pliant digits threading through the fringes on the dress she'd donned. albeit still partially dazed from the lofty contrast of the tower she calls home, the lass very much enjoyed the warm breeze of the nearby waters brushing against her as she walked through. chryseis had always loved the calm of the beach, such stark opposites with the chaos and noise that riddled the streets daily where she lived. a small simper then curled at the corners of her lips at the thought of it, of reminiscing her earlier memories of playing with thalassans as a child.

oh, how she adored them– blue eyes and breathing underwater, all that and more. she never understood the dispute between the races, much less supported it or cared for the hatred. she was just about lost in her mind's wanderings when she caught sight of an unfamiliar female by the shore, unsure of whether the said figure was her kind or thalassan. irked by such curiosity, chryseis decided to step closer, maybe observe and ask for her name. "hello?"

@♆ : erwin l 。 Vera's gaze was transfixed on the man as he really seemed to be very nervous. A small part of her almost, just almost, wanted to console him and assure the poor lad that nothing bad would happen to him. But she really couldn't deny that it was amusing watching him fall apart at the seams infront of her. She nodded along to his words giving him the impression that she was listening as she circles him, pretending to inspect and lighting tapping his bag, not even glancing at the mermaid statue. "I see...."

Slowly she walked back in front of him and stood still for a moment, until she promptly burst out laughing. "Dude you're so obvious but luckily for you I'm with the force!" Her nose crinkled by the end of her sentence showing an obvious distaste for the authorities.

@⚘ : vera s 。 Erwin couldn't help but felt something was bound to go wrong. He would be taken back to Thalassan, his dad will kill him and he wouldn't be able to come back. It would be over. Erwin just couldn't let this policewoman take him away. His palms are getting sweaty and Erwin tried to be careful, wiping them off as he fixed the straps of his bag. "I'm from the middle ground of Thalassan. I, I heard that this place is, a good tourist spot. Like, this place supposedly has great tourists attractions." He started, feeling as if he was being interrogated. He glanced over to his sides, trying to find something to prove his point, so he pointed at the mermaid statue standing tall on the port.

He tried to lighten up the situation, his voice watered down into deep, scratchy nervous chuckles. "See, I come here for a vacation. Nothing suspicious here."

@♆ : erwin l 。 Vera was almost curious enough to ask why he seemed so worried. It almost a cord in her but again, she just didn't feel like asking even though she probably should. He seemed like a scared and wounded little animal with now skittish he was acting around her. It didn't seem like he was attracted to her as he could barely stand still and looked around ready to run away at any moment. She was also surprised he hasn't said a word the whole time she held his map, subconsciously she crossed her arms as she stood in front of him.

dropped in amusement, wanting to bark out a laugh but she quickly regained her composure. It wouldn't hurt to make him sweat a bit right? Whoever he was. "Hmm is that so? You wouldn't lie to me? Where is your home then, why'd you stop to vacation here?"