[open] I was tame, I was gentle, til the circus life made me mean

[ordinar]

Who: Wilhelm & pals
When: June onward
Where: Thorne, Nocwich
What: Catchall for hot boy summer
Warnings: Will update as needed



Closed and open starters to follow. :)

Comments

[a_better_man]

"How did you possibly guess I might like to go to the beach?"

Mat's grin only broadens. He hops off the wall and grabs his instrument, slinging it back over his shoulder and very much not chuckling at Wilhelm missing his shot.

"Never got to, before I came here. No ocean anywhere near where I lived, just the rivers and ponds. Which were nice, but nothing like the sea."

Which technically he has seen back home, now, but he was hardly spending any leisure time on the shore. This afternoon is going to be all leisure time on the shore.

"If there's one of those stands with drinks, I'll buy you one. It's a good afternoon for a drink."

[ordinar]

"Sure, man, whatever you want," he chuckles. He won't say no to a drink on someone else's coin. Taking the bike by the handlebars, he starts walking it down the path that leads to the beach.

"Let's go check it out."

The walk is short, the brick path soon giving way to sand as tufts of tall grass cluster close around them. Heat rises up in thick waves from the sand, and sloshing through it with boots and bike wheels is like a circle of hell, he's pretty sure. But he's reluctant to leave the bike somewhere out of sight. The people of Borrel might not know what it is, but that doesn't mean that someone with sticky fingers won't see any value in it.

Closer to the waves, Wilhelm decides that this is going to be their spot. He carefully lays the bike down in the sand, sets his bag down, and sets to prying his boots off.

[a_better_man]

Mat never tires of the sea. He'd not want to be out far or down deep, but there's plenty of bits of sea that don't cover his head. And so many little fish and critters in and around the shore!

He plops himself down when Wilhelm chooses the proper place to set up, toeing off his boots and shrugging his vest off.

"I can set a bit of a magical guard, keep our things safe while we're enjoying the water." He nods to the cycle machine and his growing pile of outerwear. One of his magical snares set to snag anyone else who goes for their things would do the trick.

He'd rather not be worrying about his clothes and his instrument and whatnot.

[ordinar]

"That's a cool trick."

He strips down to the waist, woven belt and vest and sweaty tunic piling up next to his bag, then bends to roll the legs of his trousers up past his knees. That's as close to public nudity as Wilhelm dares to venture at the moment. It's one thing in Nocwich's hot springs, which are secluded and enfolded in perpetual twilight, and another thing altogether on the wide open beach in broad daylight.

Otherwise, all he's got on is his necklace, a polished bit of milky white crystal that looks like the full moon hanging on a silver chain. It gleams against his (nearly as pale) chest as he stretches his arms and wriggles his bare toes in the sand.

"Race you to the water," he offers, tipping his chin toward the breaking waves.

[a_better_man]

Mat strips down to his smallclothes, also leaving on his pendants. He has three now, layered on carefully chosen cords to hang above and below one another - his lucky gold coin, his Wheel of Fortune medallion, and the pendant Jesper had given him. He sets his magic protection first, a circle glowing in the sand around their things before fading.

He hops up with a playful smile directed to Wilhelm.

"You sure you want to race me? These legs are made for running."

He stretches out one long limb in demonstration, striking a pose with his hands on his hips.

[ordinar]

"Ooh, I'm so scared."

He wiggles his hands in a mockery of fear, his grin giving him away. With that, he positions himself like a runner, only not so low against the sand because it's hot as hell. He waits until Mat looks ready too.

"Okay, ready...set...go!"

Wilhelm guns toward the waves. The first stretch of the race is through the sun-baked sand, which shifts treacherously under his feet and slows his progress. Then comes a perimeter of pebbles and shells before the shore slopes down toward the water, and the sand turns dark and wet and firmer underfoot. Thanks to his daily training with Kyle, he's in better shape than he's ever been. He keeps pace with Mat for much of the distance. The finish will be close.

[a_better_man]

Mat laughs heartily and shakes himself out, getting nice and loose for the pelt down to the sea. He mimics Wilhelm's stance, giving him a nod.

The other fellow is indeed quite fast. They're practically side by side across the sand, and it's nice to have a challenge. He doesn't have to hold back any, and damn but it's nice to just run sometimes.

He isn't even sure which one of them actually hits the water first, but it doesn't matter. It's all for fun, and he's laughing again as the cold spray hits his ankles and the sand beneath his feet goes from damp to wet.

"A fine race!"