Cafas was in board shorts. He liked board shorts, they weren't so... exposing. Plus they made his leg scarring less obvious. The same could not be said for his torso, which was heavily scarred from multitudes of deep cuts, abrasions of other natures, a couple of burns but mostly the cuts. He didn't care so much; it was, in a way, a map of his life. Plus in the end there was nothing he could do about it so he may as well be proud of it.

Mmm, that sun is great.

He stood by the pool, a random white mansion towel hanging over the back of a deck chair nearby. His toes stuck out slightly off the edge. He wasn't one to test water; it was like testing the depth of a sky dive, pointless, you just had to jump. He looked up, turned around, and did a backwards dive, arching his stomach upwards and into the water with as much grace a could be mustered by a 6 foot 2, broad, newly twenty year old who swam maybe five times a summer at most.

Yup, it was cold, just as predicted.

The breeze was nonexistent, the birdsong quite the opposite, green was the pre dominant colour of the environment, a few tiny hints of yellow on leaves indicated quite a few sunny days in a row. However Alchemist was underwater, breath held under the remarkably deep pool. He dawdled near the bottom, eyes open, watching the tiles crawl by under him. Perhaps half a minute later he surfaced, whipping pink hair from his eyes and taking a nice deep breath in, the previous having been rather rapidly exhaled. He could go for perhaps a minute and a half given a good day, above water two, but he wasn't really trying. Besides, that was if he sat perfectly still, movement reduced it significantly, because the oxygen was burned up faster.

Now what?

He lay on his back, arms out like a starfish, floating on the surface in random directions, shoving off the wall whenever the slight water filter current pulled him to the edge. He had, as any sensible person does, not neglected sun block. That was drilled into you pretty hard by the Australian sun. When you forgot, you tended to have to stay standing for days, hallucinating horribly from the pain. No amount of moisturiser would rub in, no amount of ice baths would soothe, and a light breeze would feel like fire. For someone who is twelve, that leaves a huge impression. He relaxed as best he could; given the task he was performing and let himself be swept around some more. After all, it wasn't like he was sharing the space.

Was white, grey and blue the right colour choice for board shorts? I like them I guess, no one else really has to.

Swimming on a Maya day. A dead sure sign of Mirror being bored out of her mind.

Yes, she did indeed own a bikini. She was bound to go swimming sooner or later as Maya, and when she did, she might as well look decent. Maya had never been shy about her body, mostly because she didn't really have anything to show off, and also because she was used to going topless on Gawain days.

Above mentioned bikini was blue, and came with shorts instead of thongs or any other of the ridiculous kind of bikini bottoms, and Maya was quite comfortable wearing it. Even when she found out she won't have the pool all to herself.

Sitting down at the edge of the pool and dipping her legs into the water, the mirrorwalker splashed some water at C.J.

"Kids throw all kinds of stuff into the pool these days" she grinned, then raised her voice "Hey chief, ya need some help theren or should I let you soak?"

Cafas had been relaxed. It had been a nice few minutes. Then, water, face, voice, required relaxation lost, face and chest under water, confused up righting; then air. Cafas looked up at Maya. He knew that face. That face had seen him very drunk once. It had actually been a fine experience... sorta. Below that face was a body, scantily clad. He returned to the face, not much to see. He got his water treading to a somewhat strained rhythm before answering. "Nah I'm alive mate. What brings you down here? I hear it's gonna peak at forty today, figure you'd stake a claim before everyone else flooded in?" He figured his eyes were blue after his little float, not very dark, maybe light sky. It was rather relaxing. Possibly company had sent one yellow, happiness to see a familiar face? He couldn't tell, it'd be fairly parchmenty given that his emotional shift wasn't very noticeable.

She gonna hop in? Why wear swimmers if she isn't? Not to bright are you?

The mid morning sun didn't seem to have driven the other mansionlings to the glorious cool of the pool. He figured they'd turn up in an hour or two, when the high thirties were reached in the shade. That was never a pleasant temperature, no matter who you were. even snakes and lizards retreated at that point. As it was it was high twenties and climbing. An abandoned tube, along with other pool fun items lay in a corner of the concreted area. he hadn't noticed them before. Perhaps he'd grab the tube in a little while if the shifter turned out to be boring at the pool. "You look kinda... shifty, on the edge of the pool there." He smiled at his own joke, he was a funny one.

Oh god shut up.

Sunny days... they begged for fun, and fun in her apartment with new roommate gone was very unlikely. That notion had led her to hopping on her scooter, clad in a little green dress and a yellow flip flops, to book it through traffic over to her favorite haunt. The mansion. Of the two people she knew there, one was absent when she arrived. The office door was closed, locked, and no one was in sight to let her in... or tell her where Mr. Wills had wandered off too. She resisted the urge to decorate his door in web and little notes, and turned to her next objective. The mirror walker. His/her room was only a short walk away, and like the last time if he was absent, Megan would not hesitate to take her anger out on the hapless door. She got stopped half way, by a window, which clearly showed her a tiny bikini clad Mirror sitting pool side with some pink haired dude paddling about in the water. Blue eyes narrowed, and she paused to think...

Her dress allowed her the freedom of catching nice breezes as well as not overheating. A must. It was however, not meant for water. The urge to travel downstairs and outside, to shove the mirror walker into the pool was oh so tempting... but... was it worth the possible consequences of getting splashed? The blue bikini the girl wore screamed yes. She grinned, a new- much more evil- plan hatching, and turned on her heel to head downstairs. On the way, she adjusted the straps of her sundress to prevent slippage, seeing as she was currently Au Naturel in the bra department, and split her hair into two fluffy pig tails on either side of her head.

She made it outside and crept along the mansion wall as quietly as she could, intending to sneak up on the hapless girl before being spied. She waited until the pool was in view, then casually strolled into sight and headed the girls way silently. Her flip flops barely made any sound at the pace she was going. It was near perfect. She readied her hands, intent to grasp the bikinis tie and rip it clean away... maybe parade around the mansion with it a little too. Just for extra embarrassment. She closed in, ducked, and quickly reached out to grasp the bikini back. At the last second, she felt her flip flop catch and was sent abruptly to her knees. Her out stretched hand collided with Maya's back, and sent the girl right off the ledge and into the water. Megan only had a moment to collect her wits, before she started laughing. Loudly. "Got you Maya!" She purred, smirking at the mirror walker, and started to get to her feet.

>>"Nah I'm alive mate. What brings you down here? I hear it's gonna peak at forty today, figure you'd stake a claim before everyone else flooded in?"

Maya raised an eyebrow at the Aussie. "Forty? Not unless Sam shows up" she grinned at him splashing more water "Y'know I just realized we've got this nice pool and I've never tried it. I mean, how many schools have pools like this, huh?"

She was glad to see C.J. again. Calley hadn't been around much lately, and she was far from up-to-date with their history, but it was about time she spent some time with the Captain without fighting each other or one of them being drunk.

>>"You look kinda... shifty, on the edge of the pool there."

Maya raised the eyebrow once again.

"Whoa, mate, is that the best ya've..."

>>"Got you Maya!"

"...."

Maya disappeared under the surface of the pool, just to appear a moment later again, whipping hair out of her face and sputtering a lungful of water.

"Charlotte!"

The spiderwoman was already in the process of getting back up; now Maya might not have been much of a sight in a bikini, but she was quite athletic. Shooting up from the water, she rested one hand on the edge of the pool, and used the other to grab Charlotte's arm and yank her forward, using her partial lack of balance to tip her (and herself) back into the water.

SPLASH.

"Got you too."

Who was the new girl, why was she pushing Maya, why was Maya pulling her... actually, the last was less of a mystery. Wait, charlotte? Odd name. Cafas paddle slightly back from them where he began to tread water some more. It was oddly timed, this little event. Normally people didn't get pushed in so soon. Then again, the other girl, the Char one, had looked like she was trying something else to start with. Oh well. The scantily clad were his friends, well one of them, so he had an obligation as an Australian to check them out. Still went his legs, and pointed down. Light upward pushing of water and he was under. Maya was... well... yep. The other girl was way more yep, verging on a hello. Possibly a how are you. He hoped neither would notice he was checking her out under the water, he might be able to use that trick again.

Well, time to resurface.

As he broke the surface again Cafas noticed one thing. Epic crocodile shaped inflatable pool toy! Pre inflated most of the way! He made a dash for it, and, grabbing it, proceeded to fill it the little remaining way before pulling it in and climbing onto its back. "Yeargh, I be captain crocship the pirate, are ye maties or navy dogs?" he also waved to the newcomer. "Cafas, by the way." He went back to paddling his crocodile in circles around the girls. Clearly, the Australian would ride the crocodile. Or a shark, or giant inflatable spider, perhaps a snake... But nothing else! Most of the others weren't well suited for inflatable pool toys.

Yo ho ho and a bottle of RAM! Good song.

Her laugh ended abruptly as Maya erupted from the water faster than she had expected. A meek 'eep' that was rare coming from her escaped her lips, before she was roughly jerked forward. Into the pool. Her current cargo of arachnids saw what was coming and made to abandon ship. They jumped, skittered and tumbled from her, then made it for the shadows along the mansion wall where it was safe... Megan didn't have time to curse, or shake a fist at the retreating creatures though, for introductions were already in full swing.

Face, meet water. Water, lungs! The spider queen splashed in, bobbed for a second with her legs thrashing, before she righted herself and resurfaced with a gasp. "Maya! That's not how this is supposed to work!" She pointed a finger accusingly at the girl, and shook the water drenched hair from her eyes. The other boy in the water escaped her attention until he introduced himself. Cafas. Who was apparently crocodile capitain.... "Charolette.... " She blinked at him, covering her chesty shame under the water, and turned a scathing look Mirrors way. Pull her into the water will she?! Without warning, her arms erupted from the water and sent a mighty splash heading towards the mirror walker.

Then, she turned to the floaty rider with a malicious grin, and wiggled her fingers in front of her chin like many tiny tentacles. "Maties? Navy dogs? Ho ho! I am neither! I am sinker of ships, devourer of men! I am..." She paused for dramatic effect, and brought her hands down on the water to send a splash crashing his way as well. "The KRAKEN!" Megan roared, and lurched forward as fast at the water would allow to attack, and knock him from his green plastic steed.

>>"Maya! That's not how this is supposed to work!"

"Oh this is exactly how it's supposed to work" Maya grinned, smoothing her hair back from her face. And it was working too. Minus the spiders. Maya paddled to the edge of the pool and slpashed one thoroughly drenched specimen out onto the grass before it sunk. She wouldn't want one of Charlotte's familiars choking to death. It can't be a pleasant feeling.

"Capt'n, meet Charlotte the Spider Lady. Charlotte, meet the Alchemist." she muttered, but those two were already hitting it off, there was no need to introduce them any further. C.J. had a floaty crocodile. Lucky bastard.

>>"Maties? Navy dogs? Ho ho! I am neither! I am sinker of ships, devourer of men! I am... The KRAKEN!"

Maya blinked. Were these two reasonable adults or what? A pirate and the Kraken. Weren't they supposed to be on the same side anyway?

"And I am with whoever wins that battle" Maya decided with epic dignity, and paddled around them to watch. She spotted a big colorful ball among the pool toys; she prodded it into the pool and put her arms and legs around it, floating like a buoy, bobbing up and down.

"Gooo Capt'n!"

The kraken had inverted his crocodile ship. Water went into his sinuses painfully and he held on to his boat with his legs and paddled with his arms. He turned his ship around and swam away from the kraken before abandoning ship and searching for a weapon. He saw a floating ball, that would do perfectly. He grabbed it with both hands and tugged it forward. it was actually quite heavy and he didn't even manage to launch it over his head at the vicious sea creature when he popped up. "Ye be meeting yer maker soon, devil Squid!" Cafas splashed at her before diving again.

Always go for the legs, without legs, they sink!

He grabbed the girl from the side, by the legs, and attempted to drop like a rock, using all his weight and expelling any air that may have been acting against his sinking plans. He felt himself go down and wasn't sure if she had, he was fairly certain she did. He let go, dropped thel last couple of inches to the bottom and rocketed up to gasp in a breath. He observed the pool surface in his immediate vicinity for threats carefully.

Duuuuuh dun.... Duuuuh dun... Duuuhdun Duuuhdun duhdunduhdunduhdunduhdun.. Stop that.

Water caught her in the face, and Megan roared like a creature of myth and flailed a bit as it sloshed into her nostrils and eyes, and ran down the back of her throat. Ugh... chlorine. How she loathes thee. A few coughs later, having just managed to clear the water from her air way, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hands and peered around for the culprit.

A red streak of eye shadow dripped from her lashes, like a bloody tear, and she focused narrowed, empty blue eyes on Mirror as she floated innocently just out of reach. "Hmmm... he's-" Before she could finish her musings, arms wrapped around her legs and Megan was abruptly yanked under the water. Her enraged snarl was turned into glub-glubing, and she was forced to crank her eyes shut as water converged on her once more.

When she was able to open them again, the arms had abandoned her at the bottom of the pool, and the attacker had escaped back up to the top. The twenty three year old released all of the air she held in her lungs though her nose in a grumpy burst of bubbles. She plopped gently on the pool bottom, and crossed her arms, squinting up through the water at the form of Maya bobbing away on her ball, and Cafas kicking about at the surface... nearly directly over her...

Hm... She could see swimming up and latching onto his feet with her feet, some good old fashion jaws action. But... that could always lead to getting kicked in the mouth. Megan didn't want to loose any teeth. Another option would be to switch targets and take down Maya's floaty ball. Two ships sank? That was enough to fill her Kraken quota for the day... but no. That would leave her score with the leg puller unsettled. She blinked, feeling a slight burning starting to build up in her chest, and forced her mind to work quicker. What had she failed at doing earlier? Disrobing Maya. Blue eyes targeted the boys choice in swim wear, and she grinned.

Kicking off bottom, she launched herself towards him and latched onto the back of his trunks. Her feet swung up, she kicked down, and wiggled the swim trunks free. Or struggled, rather. Kicking made it hard. Clamping her trophy between her teeth she broke the surface of the water and sucked in a good breath though her nostrils before back peddling though the water towards Maya. With her grin still in place, she glanced from one to the other, and hovered with her nose and eyes peeking out of the water like a crocodile.

"Gotchur Trunks mate."

Maya floated on the ball, concentrating really hard on sliding off of it any moment, or turning upside down which the damn thing was intent to do every time she moved. Being a buoy turned out to be more difficult than she'd thought.

Charlotte disappeared underwater; she could see C.J. pulling her down. He made a fine contrast against the blue of the pool. So did she. Once the captain returned to the surface to breathe, Maya peeked downwards curiously to see what the heck he did with Charlotte.

The rest was bubbles and waves and splashing and chaos. Maya turned upside down with the ball and let go of it to come up for air, just in time to come to face to face with Charlotte, who had... something in her mouth?!

>>"Gotchur Trunks mate."

Maya blinked with wide eyes.
Noooo friggin' way.

"Please tell me ya pulled that off with your teeth. He'd be talkin' about that one fifty years from now..."

Cafas was spontaneously naked. While normally this wouldn't have bothered him, given the company, he felt it necessary to act at least a tad abashed about it. So he decided to cover himself as best he could while remaining afloat. He gave up when he failed in the latter and the former. He settled for making the surface as unfocused as he could. He somehow had the feeling this situation could get awkward fast, and as such retrieved his crocodile and held it before him in a hiding manner. "Yup, you sure do. Can I have them back or am i gonna have to walk back to my room clad purely in a towel?" He indicated to the towel he had so carefully chucked.

So now you have no pants, and an attractive girl has them, and you're... asking for them back?

C.J. was pretty sure his croc didn't do the job he wanted it to do, but couldn't tell for himself. He continued to try to maintain a face of normality and nodded to Maya. "So, lady knight, were you a guy or a girl before your mutation kicked in? Oh and how did you find out about the mirror thing? Mine was mostly a gradual cottoning on when metal kept denting, melting, all that, whenever I touched it. It was actually downright annoying." Yup, act completely natural, that's how one should handle situations where they were naked with two girls.

One word for you mate, Calley.

"Please tell me ya pulled that off with your teeth. He'd be talkin' about that one fifty years from now..."

Had her hands not been busy keeping her afloat, she would have snapped her fingers. "Teeth, damn. The things you never think of when your running low on oxygen." She let the trunks hang in her teeth for a moment, later, before removing them to a hand instead. Only god knew where they had been before the pool... of what was in the pool for that matter. One eye twitched slightly at the thought, and she felt her skin crawl.

"Yup, you sure do. Can I have them back or am i gonna have to walk back to my room clad purely in a towel?"

Her teeth clenched in a semi grin, and she winked at the kid. His reaction...well... it was boring. No blushing, no cursing... that stupid alligator had blocked the view. Wholly not what she had wanted to happen. Her eyes turned to the towel that he indicated, which she noted and stored away for later pilfering, before they turned back to him. Her teeth parted, and the trunks slipped away to float to the bottom of the pool.

"Sure, can't have you running around in your birthday suit scaring children now can we?" With her hands clean of that matter, she turned back to innocent, bobbing in the water Maya and sent a splash her way. "You're never in your room when I come to visit anymore." She adopted a pout, and a hurt expression and tone, and blew angry bubbles at the girl.

>>"So, lady knight, were you a guy or a girl before your mutation kicked in? Oh and how did you find out about the mirror thing?"

Maya snickered as she watched C.J. floating around clad in a crocodile and trying to make smalltalk. There was something highly amusing about it. She didn't really care about his lack of clothing; she'd never been shy about things like that. Especially with guys.

"I've been shiftin' before I was born" she answered "So there's no way of telling which one would be the original. I don't care much either." she floated around him, paddling with her feet "As for the mirror thing, that kicked in when I was thirteen."

Maya sneezed as she got splashed by Charlotte.

>>"You're never in your room when I come to visit anymore."

She smirked. "What can I say, I'm busy. Maybe you should call before you visit..."

Cafas saw his clothing go under. He wished it had floated, that would make it much simpler, but nooooo they had to make it sink! He swam after it moments after receiving a reply from his new team mate. They had sunk all the way down, so he was forced to brave the ear aching depths of the pool once more. He reached them on his second try, the first having been foiled by a horrible, horrible drain. How dare they try to filter his shorts! He pulled them on fast and decided upward was a nice direction this time of day. Pushing off he headed for the underside of his green ship. Upon reaching the surface he flailed his way back on to the top of the pool toy. He was just in time to catch the end of Mirror's response to her friend. "But that would take half the fun out of it! Dropping in with warning is like telling an opponent your every attack, it means they are prepared and not left flailing!"

Lets see her knock me off twice and get away with it.

Cafas began to paddle his crocodile in tiny little circles, really just spinning on the spot. The sun was warm, and he was happy as a pig in mud, which he assumed was very. Hopefully no-one was stuck with any unwanted mental image for the day. "So Charlotte, you make a habit of stealing clothes or do you just have an odd way of flirting?" He smiled a wide Australian grin, which, for the uninitiated, is wide, sort of suggests a lazy comfort in life ad is about as happy and smexy as a smile can be. It was common knowledge, for anyone that watches trivia shows and reads useless articles on the internet, that an Australian accent made one 100% more likely to score a job in the USA than anyone else, and an Australian smile brought in the ladies. Especially from the good looking fit Australians. The stats were 100% true; he had seen them on the internet!

My BS senses are tingling!