>>"You have been acting weird since your sister..."

Yeah, well she's into boy on boy lovin'. I'd think any guy would be a lil unner-- oh, wait. She'd got him. Did she know? No. Doubtful. Anyone could have a sister. Notably, this body he was in had one. Something had happened to genetic relative of this body he was in.

Idly, Shin wondered if this genetic relative was somewhat taller, somewhat redder, and more feminine of a giant than he could possibly imagine. The image of a 'She-Hulk' was cute here... but unlikely. Mutations usually varied by a wide enough range... there couldn't possibly be more than one lumbering red giant wandering aroun--- duh. Valentine's party. There'd been plenty.
Maybe one of them was a girl?

Shin paused his big red turning of mental gears to consider the second thing she'd said, and note the money. There sure was a lot of it. It was a good thing Shin didn't put a huge value on the green stuff. He imagined he could fit an awful lot of bills in his right fist.

Speaking of right fists, he clenched his. "Yeah, well... don't make crashing into me a habit. Any more loss of blood or brain matter today, the blame rests on you." A bastard smirk forced its way onto his face. Not that witty banter with the driver that crashed into you was smirk-inducing. Acting, people.

The man in front of him was acting funny. A lot of pants-tugging was involved in the guy's act. Did he... need to check on something? Maybe something he didn't have?

The innocent thought slipped past Shin that maybe, if Ghost, Kasumi, and him had swapped bodies, others might have as well. Or genders. Genders and bodies. He racked his brain for a connection. Maybe something the guy'd said earlier while he'd been distracted by the ringing of his head.........?

Mental Flash. The image of Kokoro in a sailor suit. Kasumi in a moon princess dress. And a third... Valentine's eve party... think think think, a mental Shin hand tapped an inner Shin head. What was her name or connection...? He'd danced with her. He should remember this.

No. All he could remember was Kasumi's confession that night, and dancing with her. Gosh darn it. He dismissed the thought.

>>"You know where a swimming pool is? I would love to get in a few laps."

"Sorry, no." The man looked a bit worried by a nearby siren. Shinbyss glanced towards a nearby fire escape. "We should probably get off the streets. You know, they've been searching for lil old me all morning? Funniest thing."

"What? You? Did you bully a tank again? Bend someone's gun in a circle? You know they hate that what with the compensation and everything..."

ManLori felt his head. It throbbed --well, it more felt like bulged-- with every heartbeat still. The problem was that the PoPo were actively seeking them out. Big red more than his own bad self, but she had a man target on her back too. A big green one.

The wad of bills was rolled and... and she didn't have a hair tie to keep it that way. What did men just carry around rubber bands when they knew they'd need to roll dough? Heh. Roll dough.

The roll went into his nasty man sock. She manstuffed it way down under her manheel. Not the best, but it was better to get a blister and have nasty smelling cash than be arrested for waving around a fat wad like that one.

One more touch of hand to head. It wasn't really going to get better until he rested properly, she thought. And then she held her man hands out to Abyss for some leverage help. It was a plenty manly thing to do. She'd seen men do it all the time. Just like slapping each other on the buttocks. As long as you said "good game" afterward it was all kosher. Or ... something.

"I know a few hotels have pools at the top. I've always wanted to visit one. Since I just happened to come into some money, let's see if they'll let us in. Seems far enough out of the way of the boys in blue." She was damned if she was going to let a little manconcussion stop her from taking a swim while she could.

>>"What? You? Did you bully a tank again? Bend someone's gun in a circle? You know they hate that what with the compensation and everything..."

"I stole a motorcycle," Shin interjected weakly. "And carried a woman around on my shoulder." Oh yeah, he was bad. 'Frog-girl permission' bad.

Wait, what was he doing with that money? His attention jerked back in on the accomplice. "If you need aid carrying that..." Shinbyss boomed helpfully. But no, he had it. He finished his stuffing, and held out a hand.

>>"I know a few hotels have pools at the top. I've always wanted to visit one. Since I just happened to come into some money, let's see if they'll let us in. Seems far enough out of the way of the boys in blue."

". . . " Shin bit his lip. That wasn't going to get him back to Kasumi any sooner. He leaned forward, and scooped the man up onto his shoulder. "Tell me where you want to go. I'll get us away from the cops."

Without waiting to see if the man was alright with his new position in life, Shin started loping down the sidewalk, man above it all.

((OOC: Hope that was alright.))

Abyss didn't say anything, well beyond offering to lighten her financial load for a while. As much as she liked Abyss and knew he wouldn't take her hard earned manmoney, it was hers. And he had a soft spot for people that were cute and small and female and a bit on the mutant side. Usually that wasn't an issue for Charge. Today. It was.

And of course today, he wouldn't know that she was the one small and cute and slightly mutanty girl that HATED to be picked up. ManLori had never seen Abyss carry someone off on his shoulders before. He'd heard of it, but her own lack of desire to experience it had kept her from asking. (or demanding)

He said for ManLori to direct him, but in all honesty it took him a while to get used to the idea of being carried. On the bright side the money wasn't digging a callus into her manfoot.

"Velafont." It was the ritziest hotel she could manthink of and it was somewhere between this street and a street that was too far to walk to. He looked around to get his bearings better. Actually, the high vantage point was quite nice. "That's a left through this alley. It'll snake. I forget what road it spits us out on but it's a block or two north before we're there."

And once they were there it was a simple question of if they admitted raggedy looking stud muffins such as themselves and how much would that cost. And it would cost. If not money then in property damage. ManLori was confidant that she could mantalk her way past any theatrics, though.

Left through this alley, and through the woods, the Velafont hotel, we go...

The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh... drink up, me hearties, yo ho!

Shin stepped around a dumpster, and skirted a drunken homeless man. The man waved a bottle at him. Shin took it to mean 'hello', but didn't stay long enough to find out. Man on one shoulder, and a song in his heart, he shot out the other end of the alley like a fountain of Mentos and Diet Coke. A beer bottle shattered on the alley wall behind them as they made their retreat.

Two minutes later, Shin glanced down one street, and up the next. He bowed his head, and sighed. This was taking too long, walking. They'd have to pick up the speed. Clenching his fist, Shin broke into a dash. "Hold on tight." He called back to the man on his shoulder, who no doubt was now streaming behind him like so much toilet paper in the wind.

Stomp. Stomp... .... STOMP!!!

Four minutes later, they were there. The hotel loomed above them. Shin looked up at it. He had to crane his neck.

As an afterthought, he set the man down. "So," He turned to him. "Guess this is where we split up?"

Lori rued the fact that men did not keep proper nails. It would have made for better holding on. Because she was man holding on for dear life. Abyss perhaps did not cut the men as much slack as he did the ladies.

But boy did he cut down on travel time.

"Down. Now." The command was far weaker than it should have been. On her manfeet she stood for a while and enjoyed it. "So. Guess this is where we split up?"

"What? And miss the opportunity to tear it up like we never have before? Bro, you are not going to miss my pool party!" Lori man slapped Abyss on the arm hard enough that it hurt her manhand. This was her chance! She needed him as back up, their normal routine. You know. Just incase-ies. Besides. What fun was it to have this experience alone? She needed a clone!

"Naw. You're coming. You deserve a day in the sun." She man winked and pushed Abyss through the door first before hopping on one foot as she fished the money out of her manshoe. It was quite the sight to maneuver through the door, hop on one foot, and look entirely undignified while retrieving a large sum of money, but Lori had practice.

A sniff at the dough. Stinky. Perfect.

There was a lone woman sitting a an expansive an modern front desk. This place was made of money.

"Hey pretty lady. What's it take to get to the pool? You know." Lori manwinked with her most charmingest mansmile and pointed up. Top floor up. Behind-the-counter-lady wasn't impressed. Well, not as impressed as she should have been.

"That would require a membership with the Hotel's exclusive club. They're highly selective in their--"

"How much."

She blinked, a mite ruffled. "More than you have." And she sounded so sure.

"Dollars and cents, sweetie cakes. I'll leave you alone if I can't meet your high standards. Scouts honor." With just a little twang that was enough to fluster her more. She wrote the number down on a piece of paper and slid it to manLori.

"I'll take two." And he counted out the stinky money she'd have to handle for the rest of the day.

ManLori dragged Abyss over to the photobooth and then they waited by the laminator for their nifty little cards to print out. This. Was going to rock. The remaining bills folded into a pathetically small square and went into her man pocket. Not enough for strippers, but enough to hit up the hotel concierge for swim trunks in his and Abyss' size... maybe.

"Red for you?"

>>"What? And miss the opportunity to tear it up like we never have before? Bro, you are not going to miss my pool party!"

Eheheh, what pool party? Shin tilted his Abyss head. Then, his eyes dropped to the arm-slap. He'd... just slapped him on the arm... wasn't there, like some unwritten code about that? Like, not to? Not that it hurt, but it was kinda girly...

And the only kind of girly he wanted right now was back at the Sanctuary... Shin frowned.

>>"Naw. You're coming. You deserve a day in the sun."

"Uhhhhhhhhh..."

And now, he was being shoved. How was he being shoved? He was probably a lot heavier than the average bear. This guy...

was a mutant...

waving a wad of cash at woman he hardly knew

and

being pushy to the woman.

Shin sighed, and took a step forward, to stand behind the dollar-guy. If he could, he'd keep the guy from further troubles... because as far as he was concerned, the guy's brain was addled, and he was a danger to everyone, including himself.

It was a public service, alright? Done out of the goodness of Shinbyss's heart. With a sigh, he let the crazy dude drag him again. Dragging, dragging... maybe he ought to carry the dude again, just to stop with the pushy shovey?

Pictures? Lamination?

RED!?

"Uh. Sure." Shin grumbled, glancing towards the nearby potted plant. Why couldn't he get green?

He didn't sound excited about Red. Red was his favorite color right before a snazzy charcoal with pinstripes. There was something wrong with Abyss. He needed some definite cheering. "Fine then. Yellow?" Actually that one didn't seem to come in Abyss-huge and it had a smiley face on it. That would be like painting a big face kick me sign on his keester.

"Black then." Surely they had size XXXXL in black. It was supposed to be slimming. Heh. Well, there was a speedo that might work. Gufaw. She'd manleave that choice up to him.

As for himself, Lori grabbed a blue plaid. That was manly enough, right?

Another little shove. Another pretty lady to take his money and then they were off to the elevators.

"All the way to the top, my good man." ManLori flashed the elevator attendant his card. Assuming the elevator could handle Abyss' weight they were in for some good old fashioned pool time now.

A good "Yeeeehaw!" started off their elevator ride right. Lori was inordinately excited about swimming. It had been such a very long time. Hopefully she still remembered how.

"Red is fine," Shinbyss shrugged. He'd take whatever color he was assigned with, though he still wasn't certain what the colors were for.

His eyes fell on bathing suits and speedos. Oh. Red definitely came in trunks, and wasn't a speedo. Red, it was, then. He doubted even Kasumi would want to see him in a speedo...

heck... nobody wanted to see that...

at least... not. Now.

Red fingers tugged at the red cloth selection gently, and pulled it from where it hung. He folded the trunks over in his arms with a discrete sigh. Then, they were moving again.

Or being shoved again. He suddenly wanted to tell the guy who was shoving him to 'shove off', but wasn't certain the mind that usually occupied the body would do that. Shin wasn't even sure the mind that occupied the body was usually sane. If it mingled with guys robbing adult toy stores for teddies of the non-bear variety, there was the chance it was not.

Shin tuned out all guffawing and yee-hawing and see-sawing and free-falling that potentially could come about. As the elevator music played lightly in the background, Shinbyss waited patiently. A red toe tapped light as a heavy feather. A minute or so later, they reached their destination.

Ah pool.

What a kill joy. "Seriously, Abyss." She clamped her manmouth shut. She was about to say that his sister was a worthless P.O.C. but that was about the fastest way to get himself an express flight across the city and into a skyscraper at the other side. "You've gotta relax, man."

And then the elevator doors opened on paradise. Rich, snooty women, men made of money, and the best of all... a pool. A glittering watery paradise. It was all aqua colored and chlorine smelling. It was everything she was hoping for and more because those rich people were just soaking up the last bits of the summer sun. They weren't even using the actual pool.

Rather than let his misty eyes develop into a serious manproblem, Lori asked Abyss. "Think you can make a cannonball splash so big that you hit everyone on the sides of the pool?" Oh they'd have to make a quick man stop in the locker room to change, but that water was NOT going to escape his attention. He was going to get wrinkly skin! It was going to be awesome!

There was quite a spring in his step.

Springs in steps. Those were nice. Very springy. Bouncy. Trouncy. Fun fun fun fun fun. But unfortunately, the most wonderful thing about springers in this scene was that ManLori was the only one...

Shinbyss was not springing, nor was he feeling particularly 'trouncy' enough for cannonballs. No, he was feeling more like the lead weight at the end of the fishing line than anything else. Very heavy.

Because, seriously? Pool. Italicized. Underlined. Not stricken through.

"No. Really. I'm fine here, dry and everything. You have fun. I'll just watch. Maybe they have a book I could read on the sidelines?"

Red feet went tap tap tap. The last time he'd been around a pool like this, he'd had a lot better company. It was making him want to skitter back to Kasumi. Damn these public services. They were a detriment to us all!

"Party pooper." Pouting was not a manly activity, but she just plain felt like. There was no need to pretend to be a man around Abyss anyway. He oughtta know what was up.

ManLori trotted to the locker room-ah the MEN'S locker room. "Sorry, ma'am. Honest mistake." And put on his spankin' new swimmin' britches. Man. This body was goofy. All sinews and bone. Not a lick of fat. Lori liked a guy with a bit more... well, more. At least a butt.

A little trounce and flounce and then ManLori was on the diving board. Cannonball? ManLori looked at the party pooping Abyss and stuck out his tongue. "CANNONBALL!"

Jump, jump, SPLASSSSSSH!

Party pooper? What, hey, no! Who was pooping parties? He wasn't being a party pooper, nor was he a stick in the mud. He was just a really big, red, muscley... silent, noncommittal grunt guy. Yeah. The heroic, silent, strong, noncommittal grunt guy 'hero' type. Saving the city, one taciturn grumble at a time.

On the topic of taciturn grumbles, Shin noted thoughtfully as he looked up to the sky. One really must keep the words to a bare minimum. And frown. And cross one's arms. Had he been crossing his arms while he'd been pooping parties...? Shin tried to remember, but couldn't fathom why he wouldn't have been. No. He'd been crossing his arms dutifully. Or at least, putting his foot down.

If he put his foot down now, maybe the annoying guy would get him? One strong stomp, and the whole pool might crumble like so much telephone receiver.

Wait. No. That would be bad. Bad Shin, for thinking such a thought! That totally wasn't like him.

Another thing that wasn't like him. Usually, Shin was dry.

He'd lost track of the crazy guy while he'd been fathoming reasons why he wouldn't be pouty, and arms-crossed, and strong. But now, one "CANNONBALL!" later, he knew right where the guy was.

And the water. And the water. And the water. And one of the rich snooty gentleman's sandals. Washed away, like so much fashionable footwear at the beach.

Shinbyss dripped.

It seemed red giant drippy things couldn't possibly look pleased. He crossed his arms again, and stomped his foot.

"If you want to make a cannonball, you have to do it right."

Splash.

The waters of the pool moved skywards as red muscle mass plunged into the deep end. Hooray for getting pissed off.

The water. Oh, heavens, the water. It was like a glove. Like a sloppy soup. Like a big... target. ManLori ducked when she mansaw red flying her way.

A proper whoop was in order when she mansurfaced. "Awesome!" Between the two of them the water level in the pool had drastically dropped. Watery five!

And a doggy paddle to get it!

"Finally loosening up, I see." Snooty snooters were best ignored especially when outraged. Eventually they would wash away like those sandals. It would just take them time to realize they were about to chew out someone who could rip them bodily in half.

Not that he would... but he could. And he looked it too. Even Lori was manlooking a bit more intimidating. None of that tiny girly body to compensate for now!

She splashed her manfeet wildly as she splattered around on her back. The sky and the water. The last kiss of autumn. Ah. Wasn't life grand?

As hand hit hand, Shin suddenly had a feeling the logic of his last action left much to be desired. Yes, He'd wanted to splash the other guy, and yes, he'd made quite the splash, but no, unfortunately, it didn't seem to be taken so much as 'revenge' as it had 'exactly what I wanted'. The evidence of faulty logic was all there, hand-smacking included.

Well, dang.

He might as well play it off as casually as he could. A forced grin slackened the red features of his face. Eyes trailed over to the wet mess he'd caused. He, uh, meant to do that. And that. And that. And that.... and that.

And that.

"Perhaps," Shin replied with a humoring rumble. Except now, he was wet and dripping. In his street clothes, no less. The red trunks sat discretely on the side of the pool.