ota; beach bonfire

[prontissimo]

WHO: Luca Paguro, Alberto Scorfano, and ???
WHERE: Stardew Beach
WHEN: Evening of Sunday, 20 November
WHAT: Luca's 14th birthday party! Mingle at a bonfire on the beach. They brought... lasagna...
WARNINGS: none! mention of sand fleas?


[ Come Sunday evening, as advertised, Luca's party is all set up on the shores of Stardew Beach. There's a roaring bonfire for folks to gather round, built by Alberto and Luffy under Katsuki’s careful instruction. They've piled some wood into makeshift benches around the fire for people to sit and chat and eat. On a nearby picnic table, the boys have laid out a small spread of food. But being their first "human" birthday party (and Alberto's first real party period), they didn't exactly hit the bullseye with what to serve at a beach bonfire...

They brought pasta. They carefully shlepped a huge pot of trenette al pesto and a large tray of lasagna, plus all their other party supplies, on the bus, on the train, all the way to the beach. Diligence. They don't know about hotdogs. While unorthodox, it's genuinely tasty food, though — and Alberto hasn't accidentally poisoned anyone in at least a month or two...! So also safe to eat, bonus! In addition to the pasta, they have a bowl of leftover Halloween candy, a cooler full of bottled water and an impressive array of energy drinks, and off to the side, a small stack of frying pans, a collection of myriad spices, and a bunch of kitchen knives...? For filleting and frying fish, naturally. Alberto's also brought fishing poles, so now anyone can cook up whatever they catch. Like any normal human child's birthday party.

One normal human thing they managed, though: a birthday cake. That is, if you have a forgiving definition of what a "birthday cake" is... The icing did not fair well being stacked on top of the hot lasagna on the way to the beach. Plus this is Alberto's first attempt at cake decorating or baking anything in general, thankfully once again under Katsuki’s watchful guidance... It— probably tastes fine. Let's assume it does. Just don’t look at it.

They've got two telescopes set up for any fellow star-gazers, one courtesy of Danny, and Luca brought along a couple constellation guidebooks on how to read the stars. For the less bookish types, Alberto's brought along a light-up soccer ball and a light-up Frisbee, accounting for the darkness. They've brought a few cheap swim goggles for anyone trustworthy who'd like to sneak off for a swim with a sea monster. But for those who stay on land, Alberto's also brought three fishing poles, a couple hand nets, along with tackle and bait — but not worms or something normal, of course not. No, he has an old paint can he's filled halfway with live sand fleas... Took a while to catch them all by hand himself, but it's fine; they've found more than enough sand fleas for everyone. Anyone prone to poking their nose into random containers will probably regret this one, sorry. Bleck...

All in all, it promises to be a fun birthday party — but definitely a birthday party like no other... You only turn fourteen in a human city in another country in an alternate dimension in the future once, right? ]

Comments

Stargazer

[a_cute_batata]

"Wow!"

Luz had to admit it was nice to be able to look out and put her head to the stars instead of thinking about how she had to leave here eventually, or that she was honestly having a really nice time here.

"Kinda wish we could see it see even closer! This is still pretty awesome though!"

[bossy_boots]

Nearby, Ghost chased whatever things she could find, or imagine were there. Amity watched her, leaning her head on Luz's shoulder.

"It really is," she said, with a slight sigh.

[a_cute_batata]

Luz laughed, looking over at her girlfriend, glad that she managed to make it to celebrate Luca's birthday!

"You want to take a look, Amity? I'll watch Ghost for you if you want!"

[bossy_boots]

She shook her head, with a smile.

"No, I'm all right. Right here."

Hint, very loud hint.

[a_cute_batata]

Luz looked up, her facing beaming.

"Really?! I mean, yeah. Cool."

She whistled innocently, looking out into the ocean.

"It's nice, isn't it? Midday. It's calm out here, and it's just us and our friends. No crazy monthly weirdness. No hassles. Just. Us."

[bossy_boots]

"Yes, really," she said, wrapping her arms around Luz's. She did like it when Luz got a little bit flustered.

"But yeah, nothing loony or strange. Just quiet and beautiful and nice."

Ghost hopped her way back to them, pawing at shells.

[a_cute_batata]

Luz similarly loved having her girlfriend HERE, and was so used to feeling slightly disconnected, feeling like she was somehow having Amity here was almost out of a dream.

"Yeah," Luz said, laying her head gently on Amity's neck before lifting herself up a little.

"Amity, are you...um. Are you OK here? Are you sure you're not a little mad at me since you're technically...well. Stuck in my world?"

Luz had that lingering guilt still hanging over her, no matter how Luz tried to reason herself out of it. Willow, Gus, Hunter, Amity. All of them stuck on the other side, away from their home.

Hunter...gone.

[bossy_boots]

"Luz," she replied, shaking her head. Poor Luz, always taking the burden on herself, causing herself hurt so others might not - but there was sure a cost that came with that, she was noticing. Not that she knew how to deal with it. But she'd try her best.

"If I'm going to be anywhere, I'm glad it's with you. If I'm going to be trapped, at least it's a new world to explore - and nothing is trying to eat us or destroy the world all the time. And it's not like any of it is your fault."

[a_cute_batata]

Luz had still only just witnessed what happened through Amity's eyes. That hadn't meant she didn't think that she was exempt from what had happened. They were stranded in HER world, after all. Would they even be in this situation if she hadn't given Phillip the light spell all those years ago?

"I'm glad you're here too." She said this quietly, managing a small smile. "I don't think we even got to take a breath as a couple because of the Emperor and his awful plans. But you're here, and now we can experience this world together."

Even if she DID think the part where the Emperor almost killed everyone was a little bit her fault.

[schoolingfish]

"That would be awesome! Like...if we could actually go up there and see it from close up...that would be amazing."

He pauses, looking up, daydreaming about going up to the stars and seeing them from only inches away.

[a_cute_batata]

"That would probably depend on where exactly we'd be," Luz mused. "In my time, you can actually go out into space, but you have to wear a specific suit and you have limits. Then again, I'm sure there are people who wish they could do what WE'RE doing right now!"

Luz did wonder if they'd ever actually have a space fairing mission, to be honest.

"But who knows, we might make it somehow, without even needing a suit!"

[schoolingfish]

"I'd be fine with wearing a special suit and having limits if it meant I got to go at all!"

Because any limits would be fewer limits than only being able to see space from Earth.

[a_cute_batata]

"Oh, I agree! I'm just thinking about the stuff we've done so far though, like doing errands for a god, or going to realms of the dead. Honestly, going into space without a suit should be pretty easy by comparison, right?"

Maybe. Logic was just annoying when you wanted to do something fun, after all.

[schoolingfish]

"Yeah, you're right!"

It's definitely something that could happenA Especially with all the strange places and worlds they could go to in this place.

[a_cute_batata]

"Exactly! In the meantime, is there something you want to do that I can help you with?"

She had a staff and some magic, so she hoped she could manage to do something for him!

[schoolingfish]

"Hmm..."

He pauses, thinking about it.

"Can we go flying on your staff?"

[a_cute_batata]

"My staff?"

She looked at it a moment, then broke out in a grin.

"Heck yeah we can! I can't believe I didn't even think of that! I can probably take you all around this beach!"

[schoolingfish]

"It'll be so much fun! I bet the beach looks so cool from the sky!"

[a_cute_batata]

"Oh, you have no idea! Now I really wish I could have shown you what the Boiling Isles looked like from the sky! But we can settle for this!"

Luz straddled the staff, then tapped the spot behind her.

"Whenever you're ready!"

[schoolingfish]

Climbing onto the staff behind her and holding on tight, Luca says, "I'm ready!"

[a_cute_batata]

Luz grinned. Aw, she was totally like this her first time too!

Wait no, actually she was totally scared that one time, wasn't she? Whatever.

Luz ascended up slowly. This was done with deliberate affect, so Luca could appreciate how much higher he could see over everything. Luz had always wondered if she would ever be afraid of heights, and staffs had seen to it that she would never really have that fear again unless she was actually falling.

She went high enough so that everyone seemed like dots and Luz could get a good, clear view of the ocean. For right now she was ascending and moving slowly forward so he could just take everything in.

"Want to REALLY start moving now?"

[schoolingfish]

"Wow..." he says, practically whispering, as he looks at the world beneath them. It's the same sort of wonder he had when he and Alberto rode off the edge of the cliff, seeing all the birds and clouds all around them before they plummeted to the water below.

Luca might be more sensible than Alberto, but he certainly has a taste for adventure himself. When Luz asks him if he'd like to really start moving, Luca nods and grins excitedly.

"Yeah!"

[imaglyphwitch]

Luz likened this to going all the way up on a Ferris Wheel. You could stay on it and sit down and get to see how big everything was, and there were you, a small part of it, seeing things moving around. It was nice, and certainly nothing to sneeze at.

Then, of course, Luca says the magic word.

"All right then! Hang on!"

Now, this part? This was where you made the decision not to ride the Ferris Wheel, but go on the rollercoaster instead! Luz gave a nosedive, falling pretty rapidly to the ground only to pull up at the last second and zoom past most of the people around, who probably only got a glimpse of purple and white. It was up again, and then zipping quickly by, and now Luz was practically skimming the water, she was just barely touching it now!

[schoolingfish]

Luca grips the staff tight. When he first emerged from the water, he'd be terrified of this, but at this point he's gone off the cliff with Alberto far too many times to be afraid of moving through the air quickly in a way that's controlled and isn't just falling. He lets out a loud cheer and they dive down, racing through the air.

"Woohoo!"

Got to remember NOT to reply with the wrong Luz!

[a_cute_batata]

Luz is luckily very good at piloting with Owlbert so Luca has nothing to fear. It actually is a LOT like a rollercoaster, except Luz knows they aren't strapped in so she won't go too crazy. It is still a pretty breathtaking experience though, and Luz gives them a few more breakneck speed minutes before finally taking Luca down.

"What did you think?"