Logs:And I say, “O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest;

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And I say, “O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest;
Dramatis Personae

Akihiro, Isra, Leo

2021-07-17


"Our existence is excuse enough."

Location

<BOM> Beachfront - Ascension Island


Largely rocky and desolate, the majority of the waterfront on this small island is an unwelcoming place. Craggy and forbidding, lined with jagged black rocks, the coast here can take a fair bit of scrambling to navigate. Here and there, though, the coastline levels out to narrow sweeps of pebbly beaches littered with shells and seaweed carried in on the frigid tide. Occasional old trunks of fallen trees dot the narrow beach, victims of the storms that frequently plague the island. One small stretch of the western shore holds a small dock, a few boats usually moored there. Tucked off the mainland coast in Jamaica Bay, the buildings and lights of the city can be seen far across the water.

It's a blazing hot afternoon, perfect perfect for staying inside in the air conditioning or perhaps cracking open an ice-cold drink under an umbrella on the beach. Leo is -- doing neither of these things, instead down by the docks in black-trimmed daisy yellow swim trunks and a white tee heavily soaked with sweat, currently struggling to haul a rather large box onto the deck of a small sailboat tethered there.

The sound of bare feet slapping against the ground can be heard shortly before Akihiro comes into view, moving faster than any human could manage. The intensity of the footfalls slow to a much more reasonable walking pace as he gets closer to Leo, apparently only having broken a sweat because of the heat rather than the intensity of his workout.

"Hello, hello." he calls out with a lazy wave of his right hand before dropping it to hook his thumb into the pocket of his black basketball shorts. "Needing any help there?"

A shadow races over the leaden waves toward the island, though anyone who looks up to observe Isra's flight might think her progress leisurely, her wings outstretched and unmoving as she descends. Spotting the two men at the docks, she banks gracefully and spirals down toward them, great wings snapping down once, then again, to drop her lightly to the ground. She's wearing a white dress styled after a classical Greek himation, its voluminous folds flattering but not hiding the hard angles of her inhuman physique. Her skin this month is pale blue dusted with drifts of fine silver shimmer, her wings styled like coastal waters shot through with bright ropes of sunlight, the heavy talons tipping all her limbs a burnished silver. "Good afternoon, gentlemen," she says quietly. Her cat green eyes flick from her Brothers to the sailboat to the water beyond. "Is it a good day for sailing?" She sounds uncertain more than skeptical.

Leo's eyes lift sharply at the sound of approaching footsteps, and lift higher still at the shadow overhead. His head dips, a small relieved smile flitting across his face at Akihiro's offer. "Oh -- thank you. This is -- heavy." Maybe not for Akihiro, but certainly for him! His shoulders roll as he straightens from the box. His head tips at the question, brows scrunching as he considers it. "I like her to be ready. Right now she's -- not." He glances back to the sky. "Is it a good day for flying?"

Akihiro raises his hand once more to greet Isra before taking hold of the box, not commenting one way or the other about it's weight. "Not particularly, chance of thunderstorms this evening, and fog after midnight. Can't argue with staying prepared though." He shifts the box and heads towards the deck, "Need in anywhere in particular, or just want me to put it down?"

Isra's head tilts to one side--the gesture is, like much of her body language, ever so slightly animalistic--as she studies the boat. She does not look up from this examination at Leo's question. "It depends on how one flies, I suppose." This is thoughtful. "For me, on this flight, it was not excellent. I had to fight the land breeze on the way out, and there is not much in the way of other wind for me to use." Her wings hitch in a small shrug before settling in at her back. "But I have my own propulsion." A tip of her taloned hand indicates the boat. "That--she relies on the wind more than I do."

"Just on the deck is fine. Thank you." Leo watches Isra's wings with an open curiosity, eyes shifting from them to the sails on his boat. "I imagine at least -- some of the principles are the same." He waits for Akihiro to set the box down before hopping lightly over onto the boat, one hand resting on its railing. "-- but I do have an engine." This, he admits with a faint blush, a dip of his head, "if I need to cheat."

"I'm not too picky about my rides. It's pretty hard to be worse than the USS Maddox." Akihiro says with an easy shrug after setting the box down. "I guess that's not fair, I'm sure the destroyer was fairly comfortable when it wasn't taking fire. Thankfully we don't have to worry about that too often." He folds his arms across his bare chest and shakes stray beads of sweat away from his eyes. "I'm not sure if it'll stay like that though. I don't know about either of you, but I haven't relaxed since Nat vanished."

"I know next to nothing of sailing, but I do not doubt there are similarities." Isra blinks at Akihiro, which looks startling if only because it draws attention to how rarely she blinks otherwise. "I am sure I would not like to be on any boat being shot at, personally. Granted, I have not been on any boats at all." Her eyes flick to the stern of the boat, the motor mounted there. "Why is it cheating to use an engine? Can you use both--sails and engine, together?"

"What's the USS --" Leo starts to ask -- but stops, eyes widening slightly as Akihiro continues. His hands tighten on the railing, his gaze lowering from Akihiro's face to -- his chest, at first, but then abruptly lowering further. "I -- don't relax." His brows scrunch again. "Do you not --" Once more he stops, abrupt. Looks up, looks at Isra a good bit longer than is polite. "Can you swim?"

"Was a naval destroyer." Akihiro says to Leo before leaning back against the railing. "I don't either honestly. Always feel like somebody is about to try and kill me, especially in the city. Wouldn't be surprised in the least to find that somebody was actually watching us."

"You never relax?" There's little variation in Isra's intonation, but pointed ears press back against her hairless skull. "That sounds--difficult. I thought that, perhaps, you found sailing relaxing. Or jellyfish." She follows Leo's gaze to Akihiro's chest, though her face shows neither understanding nor perplexity. Then she looks up at Akihiro's face, sharply. A soft growl rumbles low in her chest, and does not cease when she says, "Someone is always trying to kill some of us." The growl finally fades, her wings rustling at her back, her tail lashing the air slowly behind her. "I can float, if that counts. Actually getting anywhere is a laborious process."

"You -- seem like a very hard person to kill." Leo folds his arms, leaning down against the side of the boat, and his posture, at least, looks more at ease than his usual tension. A smile ghosts across his face. "Jellyfish are fascinating. And sailing --" His lips purse, twitch to one side. "Wait, do you mean kill some of us in particular? Or is that a general statement on --" One hand uncrosses, flutters vaguely in the air. "The mutant condition."

"We think if you destroy my brain I won't come back. Haven't tested it out, obviously." Akihiro nods at Isra and drops his hands to his sides. "They're scared, I'm sure. They know how good we can be at murder given the right motivation, and they've given us plenty."

"In a small enough boat, perhaps I could sail with just wings." Isra sounds intrigued enough that one might suspect this is more than idle speculation. She mantles her wings to catch the faint breeze pulling off the water. "It might be faster than swimming. Slower than flying." Her head cants toward Akihiro, spiraling silver horns catching and reflecting the sunlight. "They would find excuses, whatever we do, and some of them need no excuse at all. Our existence is excuse enough."

Leo's hands tighten again, his lips thinning. His eyes are fixed down on the small slip of water lapping between him and the dock. "Mmm," he replies, noncommittal, to Akihiro. A little brighter: "If you want to try some time, maybe, I could show you. How to --" He gestures toward the sails on his boat. He straightens, head dipping to the others as he starts opening the large box -- underneath quite a bit of assorted ropes and webbing and gear is a hefty anchor. "I -- should put all this away. Might storm later."

"Could try it with a paddle board too. I'm sure at the very least it'd be fun." Akihiro straightened up and moves away from the side of the ship. "I don't really blame them for hating me, but that doesn't mean I'll go easy on them." His attention shifts back to Leo, "Need anymore help with that?"

Isra's tail swishes slow, the tip twitching up at the end of each swing. "I have never been on a paddle board, either. But sailing--I expect I would enjoy it. Like flying, but on the water." The dip of her head this time is graceful, before she turns to blink at Akihiro again. "Come, you can put your glistening muscles to use at the lodge. I doubt if anyone would love it leaking when it rains tonight." She nods at Leo as she shoos Akihiro up the beach. "I should very much appreciate a lesson, when you think the weather is right."

"I'm sure I can manage, but -- thank you." Leo's smile comes easier, now, a touch of relief in his quiet exhale. "Maybe I will see you at dinner." Arms full of gear, he disappears below decks.