Pass the sunscreen!

Warm sun, and the smell of the salty sea. This place was beautiful! Silky had never been to a beach, in fact she had never seen this much water in one place.

In hell, they had a river filled with souls, which was *like* water. No one would swim in it though because those souls would try to drag you down, and away. However this place was so much more pleasing to her. As she walked she would take her time looking around at the people playing, in the water, in the sand. The waves rolled across the shore, which caused small children and some adults to chase it in and out. That looked like fun!

Today, as far as someone's eyes could see, she wore a loose flowey white sundress with yellow daises all over it, a floppy white hat, large lens black sun glasses, and yellow flip flops. Around her right ankle was a silver anklet, decorated in ocean themed charms.

In her arms she held a collapsible umbrella and a beach bag inside held: sun screen, a huge beach blanket (Which could easily fit four people), a towel, and a pink Frisbee. With a giggle she looked behind her, then back at the beach. This place looks so great! Wow, and it smells so good!" Letting out a gentle giggle she would make her way to an empty spot. First she would open the umbrella and stick it in the ground. Next she worked on spreading out the blanket under it. Setting her bag down she would go back to where she had been dropped off, picking up a small cooler and heading back to her spot.

Looking around shyly, she would make sure no one was watching her. Unfortunately she seemed to always catch attention, no matter where she was. Slowly exhaling a deep breath, she would slip the straps from her dress off of her shoulders, slipping off her dress. Stepping out of the fabric pile revealed Silky in her swimsuit. (See below, minus the woman, the gloves, and the hat)

Ahhh, the beach~ She had told Silky to go find a place on the beach to set up their little ‘camp’ for the day while she gathered up the rest of the things, putting a few things out on the sidewalk to take back down with them. Some say going small when going on a day adventure to the beach was best, but no. She had a small grilling rack to put over the fire that they made in the sand, wood for the fire, a shall plus suntan lotion and a pair of Bluetooth speakers. She also included a few towels and a bag filled with the rest of probably unnecessary supplies, but she’d much rather be safe than sorry if it came down to it.

She had, however, forgotten the booze, something she wasn’t going to deal without. At least one or two drinks to least to loosen her up and make her a bit more personable without being seductive. Well… Without being as seductive. Though dressed in little more than her white hand crocheted swimsuit with a matching skirt cover, simply to be able to get into the liquor store and on the bus. She’d even managed to snag a third party on her beer run.  ”Come on, Salem~” She purred in an excited tone as she dragged him off the bus and toward the beach, his hand grasped firmly in her own.

The squishy hot sand under her flip-flopped feet, a pair of white sunglasses protecting her sharp gaze as she scanned the beach for her other companion. ”Ah~ There’s Silky~!” She pointed out to the woman to Salem as she turned and looked at him over her shoulder. ”Come on, my dear~ We’re gonna have lots of fun! We even brought a frisbee!!” And gods, did she love frisbee. Her tone was much more excited than it was the first time they’d met. She danced around him for a moment, spinning him in a circle before taking off toward the small little camp that Silky had set up with the human in tow.

”Silky~ My bounciful lovely lady~ Look who I found on my alcohol run~!” She said in a sing-songy voice as she got closer to her.

Spoiler:

Salem wasn't sure how he got roped into this mess. Initially he had planned to hit the bar with the hopes of interjecting in or overhearing a conversation about magic for the sake of his personal investigation, but just as he made his way towards the bar, out stepped a familiar figure from the alcohol shop next to it. It was Rune, his one-day colleague from when they were working for that weird snake-haired chef, an event he wished he could forget but even managed to find his interview regarding it in the magazines somehow. After a short conversation and without much input on Salem’s part, Rune plopped some of the drinks in Salem’s arms and then dragged him with her towards the bus that seemed to conveniently show up at just the right time.

The thought of going to the beach never crossed his mind in years. It was sort of surreal being here now at all, and he had never felt more out of his element than he had now. Even when he first arrived at the bus stop to a city full of monsters. But at least at the bus stop one could try to blend in as one of the crowd. The beach is an ostensibly social setting. And while Salem (despite his current behavior) wasn't necessarily shy, he still didn't get a good feel for where he stood as a human in a city of monsters, even if he was currently with two other humans (presumably) whilst here.

“Come on, my dear~ We’re gonna have lots of fun! We even brought a frisbee!!”

“Oh that sounds--woah!!”

Twirling around with Rune as she dragged him towards their beach setup spinning around in a circle, Salem couldn't help but feel like he was on the set of a romantic comedy; a genre which Salem felt severely out of place in, what with his darker outlook on the world thanks to his nightmares.

“Silky~ My bounciful lovely lady~ Look who I found on my alcohol run~!”

Salem rose his hand to wave at Silky but had to re-wrap it around the drinks as he was dragged towards her again. They finally made their way to Silky, and Salem had to make a bit of an effort to regain his balance from first being spun and then dragged before abruptly coming to a stop. He dropped a can or two in the process from the momentum, but miraculously managed to catch them by some sheer stroke of luck as he did so, setting them down at the wooden table.

“What are the odds? Guess this city isn't as big as it looks on first entry” He said with a slightly chuckle, wiping the sweat from his brow. It was hot everywhere, but the sun out here in the open was especially strong, even outclassing the cooking of the breeze which fought back to keep the rest of them cool. Salem had of course noticed the moment he laid eyes on them, but this is the first time their swimsuit really started to register with him. Silky was wearing a one piece that was cutely patterned in the style of a sailor, while Rune was wearing a fetching white crocheted two piece. Meanwhile, as he hadn't intended to go to the beach today, Salem was just wearing his usual white shirt but with a pair of shorts for the hot weather. “Sorry for not quite looking the part… probably should have planned ahead for a beach day with weather like this.” Salem said, somewhat apologetically for not quite fitting in with the aesthetic. He did resort to unbuttoning and taking off his shirt, however, to get some mild relief from the heat. He was surprisingly lean for an individual that seemed to spend most of his time indoors writing stuff on his laptop. But when you don't have much else besides work and sleep to worry about, and often coast on the former, you have to spend your energy elsewhere, such as working out. And with him constantly turning to some sort of alternative medicine for his nightmares, he did try to give a shot to the old adage "a healthy body brings a healthy mind."

As Rune approached with Salem in tow, Silky would laugh gently calling out. "Hey you guys!!" Waving her arm in the air, her soft jingle laughter echoed from her throat. Once they got closer Silky would giggle, waving her hand at them both. ]"Yay, Salem's here too!! This day is getting better! Rune!! Look how big the ocean is!! And it's so blue! Is it always this pretty?" She laughed gently, her cheeks flushed. This new space was so wondrous for her, the sand was so warm, and the air smelled so weird. People were playing everywhere, doing all sorts of fun stuff. This place was so different from what she was used to, there was no way she'd ever go back to hell.

Silky had spotted the strange green haired man approaching them, not thinking anything of it she would smile her usual natural smile. Her cheeks would still be flushed pink as she greeted him, figuring he was just going to pass by like most people. Too shy to stop and talk to the beautiful women.

Looking to Salem, Silky would smile. "Hello, Salem!! Ahaha At least you're wearing shorts!" She would laugh gently, her smile the usual innocent expression.

Did she feel bad about dragging Salem with her? A little. He seemed a little bit out of his element, but it was alright. He would soon find that she really didn't draw lines when it came to people. If they were mean to her, she dished it back, but if you were kind or if she found she actually liked the person, she didn't mind dragging an unwilling participant with her. And gods was she feeling excited, even dancing around with him a little bit. Though she likely went too far with her shenanigans. Oh well. Salem didn't seem to be objecting.

She approached Silky, her lovely lady, as she watched Salem fumble with the beer she'd handed to him. Surprisingly, he caught every single one that he dropped, which earned him a new kind of respect in her eyes. Turning her gaze back to Silky as she talked about the ocean, she couldn't help but laugh at her excitement on just how big the ocean is. "Yes, my dear, it is always this blue. And we can swim in it too~ But we'll go in a little bit, yeah?" She said warmly before she turned her attention back to Salem.

The city was indeed huge, but it wasn't uncommon that people ran into each other. It seemed that after he said that, he began to realize his clothing wasn't exactly beach perfect, but it was alright. How many times had she not been beach ready and just ran in in her undergarments? Too many to count. As Silky told him that it was fine and even commented on his shorts, Rune nodded in agreement with her comment. Like she really cared that he wasn't dressed correctly? She was just happy to have the added company. Her gaze turned back to the ocean lapping at the shoreline. It really was a beautiful day to come to visit the ocean. The sun was high with minimal clouds and the breeze was just enough to keep her from sweating and thankfully her feet were accustomed to the warmth of the sand. Not to mention the blue waters that crashed with the vigor that could drown you in its beauty.

With a content sigh, she turned her ruby eyes to Silky once more and then to Salem, who had surprisingly half stripped, revealing a body that she really didn't notice before. For seeming like a shut-in with a skittish demeanor, he really was in shape. Her brows raised for a moment in surprise before she gave him her usual flirty grin. "And look at this guy who decided to come out of his shell a bit more~" She purred in her playfully yet seductive tone. "You should show off a bit more, Salem~ It's not a nude beach, but I'm sure it could be~" A laugh escaped her again as she gave him a playful wink.

Rune really had no limit. She loved to flirt and keep everyone on their toes, knowing that keeping her options open was the best way to play the game. The more friends she had, the more likely she would be able to have an escape if her parents really did end up coming for her. Just in case the Valentine's couldn't help her escape their grasp, she needed to have a wide web of friends to help her. It wasn't something she'd tell anyone that wasn't extremely close to her, but Rune never stopped in her endeavor to create her safety net.

"So Silky, my dear~ When are we gonna play frisbee?" Her tone was almost too excited for a normal person, her rear even did a bit of a wiggle that was reminiscent of a dog wagging its tail as she moved closer to Silky.