1587/Lute Dates the Abyssal Fleet

Lute Dates the Abyssal Fleet
Date of Scene:	16 February 2015
Location:	Summer
Synopsis:	Lute takes Samar, Wo, and Ri on a date to the beach, and somehow he doesn't completely screw it up.
Cast of Characters:	188, 494, Wo, 710

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Lute (188) has posed:
     The beach Lute has picked out at Summer is quite a beautiful one. Tropical plants are everywhere, and a beautiful forest is just a short bit away. The sand is glistening and pure, some of the most beautiful sand in the Multiverse. The ocean is crystal clear. Some sea life can even be seen within it, in small pools and crevices near the beach. But, there is still plenty of clear space for them to play and have fun in the water as well. It, truly, is a perfect beach, and a perfect day for it.

     Of course, a perfect beach still needs some things for a beach party. Lute has obviously taken some time setting the beach up as well. A number of comfortable beach chairs have been set up. In fact, it's more than really is needed, just so people can pick the perfect spot if they want to sit down. There are also a number of colorful beach towels laid out. A barbecue is set up, as is a table with plates and snacks. With it, a table for drinks. These are, mostly, fancy and fruity alcoholic beverages, though there is some water too. But the alcohol is the sort of things one would /expect/ to drink on a beach as far as those kind of beverages go. Plenty of straws and umbrellas as well. There is also a beachball nearby, and a volleyball and a volleyball net.

     Probably the oddest touch though? The beach currently has some recently decommissioned ship parts about. The sort of thing one could find from a military surplus store, or from a third world country trying to make a few bucks. There are some cans of oil near them as well. Lute heard the Abyssal Fleet eats this type of stuff, so hey! What better way to be a complete gentleman than provide actual food, and not just snacks?

     Lute himself has been waiting for a little bit. He is standing around rather comfortably and casually, making sure things are in order. Though there is a road to this place, he is assuming that the girls will be coming from the ocean. So, his eyes look forward towards the ocean, waiting for everyone to arrive.

     Lute does look away from the ocean for just a brief second, though. Making sure the camera on the tripod is set up. He wants to, at the very least, get a group picture of them all. You know, that stereotypical group picture at the beach, with the dude surrounded by the ladies. Okay, maybe the last bit isn't stereotypical. But Lute wants this shot, nonetheless. This is the first time he has been on a date with /three women at once/, so he is at least hopeful.

     But, his eyes turn back to the ocean, waiting.

Samar (494) has posed:
    The waters start to churn as a red glow comes from under the surface, growing brighter and brighter as it approaches the shore. Soon enough, the water's surface swells and crashes, giving way to a dome of black metal that splits down the middle into a blunt-toothed maw flanked on either side by massive triple turrets. The creature easily seems about eight feet tall as it lumbers toward the shore on two massively muscular, pale arms, black ichor drooling from its mouth and falling to steam against the water below. The mass of black metal and ghostly flesh lumbers onto the beach toward Lute, though at least someone more pleasent-looking is on its back.

    Samar lies across her symbiote's back in a lazy, comfortable sprawl, her arms folded under her chin and a tube connected from the brace on the back of her neck to the symbiote's heart. Rather than her usual black dress and leggings, however, she's wearing the American flag patterned bikini Lute decided to send her, flattering her femininity significantly more than usual. She doesn't seem to care much about it.

    Once she's carried to the drier beach, Samar slips around to slide down the creature's arm and land on her feet on the sands. A moment is taken to reach around to the back of her neck, where, with a brief wince, she tugs the tube out from its foundation. The symbiote begins to lumber off toward the collection of oil and ship parts of its own accord, and Samar takes a moment to give her wet hair a brief toss off one pale shoulder as she looks toward Lute.

    "Nice of you to bring something my sisters might enjoy," she remarks. Her tone is a little flat, and she's not smiling; she must still be at least a little annoyed at the mission with Samar last week, but not enough to be completely antisocial. One hand comes to rest on her hip as she continues. "Did you have something planned, then?"

Wo has posed:
    It had been some time since a social engagement, and honestly the Wo-class carrier was still getting accustomed to the idea. In fact, the gifts that had been given in the nigh shameless direction of getting this date set up, were also something unexpected and bewildering. Multiversal mail delivery is really impressive, it turns out, to be able to deposit such things even in Iron Bottom Sound. As it was discussed, though, and she knew she would have the company of those she considers her sister, she makes her way to the appointed coordinates and at what some internal chronometer indicates should be the proper time.

    When she breaks the waves, her profile is distinctly different from usual, for various reasons. The most important being, as had been asked - but not precisely for that reason - the missing, bulbous garment that usually crowns her silvery hair. Being without it has had no practical effect on her navigation skills, but it does take some getting used to. The poor hat, meanwhile, is still back 'home', sitting half-assembled on a work bench while some mysterious, small silhouettes seem to be going at it with suitably-sized hammers and wrenches. The other major difference is that her cloak and suit is replaced by the swimsuit that Lute had chosen for her, though it seems she's kept the black, toothed 'jaw bone' as a sort of choker. Under an arm, having seen this the last time she visited a surface beach party, is a black beach ball painted with the toothy visage of her hat. It seems she wasn't completely comfortable without at least some replacement!

    After a moment, she seems to lift herself out of the water, gliding the last few dozen meters on bare feet right up to the sand, holding the ball over her head. "I'm - here," she pronounces, not terribly boldly, her eyes a muted but glowing bluish-green to suit the mood. She steps further toward where Samar and Lute have gathered, though she does spare a glance to the salvage apparently on offer. It's not something she herself tends to eat, but if she had brought her hat..it's a wasted opportunity, for now. Maybe she'll have some transports available for doggy bag duty? "This reminds - me..of the, last time..I visited a place - like this."

    As on the radio, her speech seems..forced, and not very flowing. As if she has to make a great effort to piece her words together, despite her continued development as a flagship. Her glowing eyes fall on Lute primarily, and her pale expression manages to look a bit curious, "You are..the one, that sent things, then? Lute.. I am, Wo. Wo." She raises a hand, friendly but somehow a bit sheepish in the gesture.

Ri (710) has posed:
Ri doesn't understand anything that's happening right now. The heavy cruiser certainly doesn't LOOK very heavy. She is uncomfortable going anywhere without her shark gauntlets, but at least despite her perplexity she has arrived as agreed upon/ordered to. She is unsure of the chain of command presently, except that Abyssals > All. She'll take orders from other Confederates, but something from Samar or even Wo, would supercede anything else. But 'come to the beach' wasn't contradicted by either of them, so here she is. She also glides up out of the ocean in a manner similar to Wo. Her shark gauntlets are on each hand, but she is also wearing a bunny girl outfit, complete with ears. It actually looks... Pretty good on her. The color scheme of 'black' matches with her dead-white skin and black hair really well.

She stumbles on the water and goes skidding across the surface, however, during her final approach. Because she is not used to wearing black leather thigh-high boots. With heels. She recovers, looking quite confused, and quite drenched, before wading the rest of the way onto shore. She takes a moment to unhook the cable plugged into the back of her neck and the rest of her harness, and sets the gauntlets down right next to each other on the sand, where they can 'watch the ocean'. Then she starts heading towards the others. "...Ri has... Arriv-" she trips again but manages not to fall on her face this time. "-arrived." she finishes.

She is even more bewildered by what her sisters are wearing. Is she wearing the wrong outfit? It almost looks like they're wearing her usual clothes - if a bit more colorful and a bit less concealing. Clothes don't really make much sense to Ri. They're just kind of there. That's why she had no reason to object to dressing up.

Though these boots aren't very useful in combat situations.

They worked better when she wore them on her hands.

Lute (188) has posed:
     One might think that the method of Samar's arrival would scare Lute. But, to his credit, he isn't terrified, at all. Really, though, if one thinks about it, it shouldn't be a surprise. He owns Mr. Crabs, a gigantic kaiju. And he considers Mr. Crabs cute and adorable in its own way. So, Samar's own bizarre creature isn't something that will scare him at all. In fact, he might find it cute in its own way, too!

     Lute smiles. It is... hard for him not to stare at Samar's assets, especially considering that she is in such a nicely fitting bikini. But, it doesn't matter too much. Lute will stare, anyways. Rather shamelessly, for a brief bit. Even as he talks to Samar.

     "Well, I've got /some/ things planned. But honestly, even just a day at the beach is fun in general. But, we can play volleyball, have some food, and just... have some fun. But... Well. I should probably greet you properly."

     As Lute finally looks up, he walks forward to Samar, to kiss her upon the hand. He has been finding that this has been a useful manner to greet people, and that a lot of girls like it. So, it's worth a shot.

     As Wo arrives, Lute waves in greeting as well. She, too, looks great in her swimsuit, and Lute spends some time staring at her as well. A bit /less/ time than staring at Samar, but still! He walks over to her, grinning a bit wildly still. Wow. None of them are going to skip the date, huh? It really is bewildering to him that he is being so successful. He will move to kiss Wo's hand in greeting.

     "Yeah, I'm Lute. It's nice to meet you in person, Wo. You're quite charming in that suit." Yes, he didn't offer such a compliment to Samar, but. He often knows how women work. Complimenting the women with the more curvy body is just obvious. Complimenting the less curvy one? More likely to be noticed and appreciated.

     And then, Ri arrives. Yeah, even Lute knows that her gift didn't match that of the other members of the Abyssal Fleet's gifts. But, still. He didn't want to give her just another swimsuit, when that is all she wore! For a moment, he was a bit worried though. He greeted the other two by kissing them on the hands. But, she has the shark things. Thankfully, the gauntlets are removed, and he sighs, in relief.

     Even he knows that Ri has a bit less of a human mindset, or at least, less comprehension of things that are going on. So, Lute will be speaking very carefully to her. He moves to her, to take her hand and kiss it as well. "It's a pleasure to meet you in person. I'm happy to meet you." He repeats himself a bit. This is to make sure she gets his point.

     "I'm Lute. I hope you'll have fun. This should be fun, right? We will play on the beach a bit, and have some fun with your friends too, okay?"

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute, as a note?

     He is wearing a black speedo.

     Because of course he is.

Samar (494) has posed:
    Samar doesn't really seem to care about the staring. Sure, she's in the form of a female human (mostly, at least), but she's still not human in the slightest. Being offended or embarrassed just doesn't come to her, though one brow raises slightly, and she leans forward to try to make eye contact with Lute again. "You focus on strange places," she remarks, before straightening up again.

    The kiss is unusual, for her. Her skin is still cool and wet from the water; she doesn't complain, again, but the effects of the gesture are mostly lost on her. At least she doesn't get offended, and only lets her hand drop to her side again when she's released, offering a brief nod in return.

    Her red eyes shift aside to Wo when Lute moves over to her, but Ri nearly crashing into the sand draws her focus more quickly. It manages to draw the faintest of smiles from her, though, so that's something. "Maybe you should take off the shoes, Ri, if you're having trouble with them," the Princess offers before Lute moves toward the cruiser next.

    The twisting and rending of metal comes from the distance as Samar's symbiote starts consuming the ship salvage like a beast to carrion, but Samar herself doesn't pay much attention. Instead, she saunters over to the various beach accessories that have been laid out and gravitates toward a chair. There she turns, takes a long stretch, and settles into the seat, leaning back with her legs crossed and her arms draped over the armrests. Her glaring red eyes drift closed as she settles in, content for the moment.

    "This is a nice beach you found," she sighs. "And you made some efforts in preparing it, too. Have you been here before?"

Wo has posed:
    Unfortunately(?) for Lute, the Wo-class carrier, and in fact all those he invited here, aren't exactly the same as other ladies he might have learned to manage. A fact he seems to have acknowledge with the offer of scrap, and yet his actions confound her somewhat. She doesn't jerk her hand away, or any such thing, but she does blink a bit cluelessly at what he was hoping to accomplish with it. Is it common for surface people to taste each other on these 'dates'? "Wo?" While she might have a head start on Ri in these surface habits, she still has a lot to learn, it seems. "Uhm - thank you, Lute," she finally produces, reckoning it's the safe default for what seems to have been a compliment. "..it fits well," she continues, glancing down and tugging at it with an ungloved fingertip, though never compromising the modesty. Really, while less covering, it isn't that different than what she normally wears, which much like Ri, doesn't really enter her consciousness often.

    The uncertainty of navigating social norms manifests itself as a pink tinge on her otherwise almost ghostly white cheeks, which Lute is of course free to completely misinterpret, as she averts her own eyes down to the ghastly visage painted on her beach ball. It's just as well that he moves on to paying compliments to her Ri-class comrade, as it gives her time to properly gather herself again. "..yes. ..for sand - like this," she encourages, lifting a leg and wiggling one of her bare feet. Even if she's one that normally wears heels, herself, it's at least normally over water or on more solid turf. "--and, yes..nice beach," she echoes, and while she might like to smile, it does not come easy for her. Accordingly, she lifts her finger tips to the corners of her mouth, to tug it slightly upward. Cute, or creepy, you be the judge. "Maybe..can invade, this one later."

    With the mention of fun, the carrier's attention drifts again to the ball now held in one hand, and a flash of realization plays visibly across her eyes. She hoists it up and then gives it a series of test bounces. She's definitely come prepared for this, the one thing about surface beach parties she's managed to soak in already, "I brought - a ball." Left unanswered is where she was able to even procure one..perhaps the same way Lute was able to deliver gifts to women that live in the depths of the sea.

Ri (710) has posed:
Being a bit less developed than Wo, Ri bares her teeth when Lute takes her metal-fused hand with intent to kiss it. It's not a smile, so much as a threat display. As far as she knows, he's about to bite her! But when the gesture is completed without incident she relaxes. Or at least stops showing her teeth. "Lute-class vessel... Voice match... Confirmed." She got the least amount of staring out of the three, but wouldn't know what to make of it if she received it. She tilts her head one way, and then the other. Then she asks a very poignant question. "...Fun...? ...What's that?"

Oh shi-Is this beach party going to start off with a cheerful song and dance to explain what fun is!? People bouncing around here might actually be to Lute's liking, but maybe not explaining through song.

Ri looks down at herself, and then at the others again. Then at Lute, who is wearing even less. She doesn't match. She has never before worried about matching. But now she is confused. Very confused. But she at least seems to have enough cognitive abilities to realize the discrepency, to piece together that she has seen people in many different oufits, and that this might not just be a peripheral concern. Thankfully, Samar provides some clarity by suggesting Ri remove the awkward boots.

And in a fit of incomprehension, she begins to remove not just the boots, but the rest of the outfit too.

"...A ball...?" Ri asks curiously during this process.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Samar was the one Lute assumed was the most human. But, still, she doesn't react to the staring aside to point out that it is a bit strange. Lute shrugs to her though, chuckling a little bit. "Well, it's a human thing. To put it in ship terms... You have a really well crafted bow." And, he pauses, just for a second. "...And quite a bilge, too. Yeah, you're really a beautiful vessel." Yeah, he's somewhat looking at her rear.

     As the others start settling, Lute goes to work a bit. He grabs a drink for Samar, handing it to her, while also watching Wo pull at her lips to try and smile. Yeah, he finds that cute. They seem to like the beach as well, so he figures he might as well offer a comment on how he found it.

     "Well, I did some searching to try and find a good beach that most people didn't know about. I sent my Unown out to scout. They're a kind of Pokemon. And since this seemed to be an incredibly beautiful beach, I felt it'd be a fitting place to take three beautiful women."

     Lute smiles at Wo. "That's a cute ball. But, yeah, we can play with it some!"

     But, before he can offer to catch it first, he turns to Ri. Who is stripping out of her clothing. And he stares, for a moment. Even after it's revealed that she is in fact wearing her normal swimsuit under. He is minorly disappointed, but hey. This still works! But, something will need to be explained to her.

     "Fun is a feeling you have when you do certain things. It's like... When you're happy due to doing something. We'll do some fun things, though, and you'll get the idea!"

     He turns to Wo.

     "Here! Toss me the ball, let's show her how to have fun!"

Samar (494) has posed:
    Well, at least those compliments let the skepticism fade from Samar's expression. She's proud; anyone who meets her would know that much. To be complimented in a way she directly understands is a good way of getting points from her.

    One eye cracks open as a drink is handed to her, and the other follows as her hand lifts to take it. "Yes, I remember you getting a hold of those Unown recently. One of your many successes in the last couple of months, right?"

    Samar has learned enough in her time interacting with the Confederacy to manage herself well with surface people, perhaps the best out of the entire Abyssal Fleet. There are, however, some subtleties and particularities that still evade her knowledge, for they simply don't directly apply to her. Drinking, for instance: she sniffs the drink in her hand curiously for a moment before sitting up a little more in her chair. Maybe she'll give it a try later. For now, it's best to make sure Lute and her sisters don't experience disaster.

    "Tossing a ball back and forth is one way humans enjoy themselves," Samar adds, dipping into a little bit of that experience. "Generally, you try to do it in a way that makes it hard for the other person to catch it or hit it back. You show your superiority and cleverness, and overwhelm them." Awfully combative way of looking at beach balls.

Wo has posed:
    It's not really something that Wo would be able to explain, sadly, since it's something she barely understands, herself. Clothing for looks is relatively new - it's a matter of convenience or otherwise. She seems completely unfazed by Lute's practical lack of clothing, having assumed this must be how he always dresses for comfort, or by Ri's taking the next logical step from removing her boots to just stripping down to her normal fitting. At least her attempt to express a smile seem to have been well-received.

    When the ball is called for, she gives it another test bounce, then spikes it, arcing parabolically towards Lute, with a huff of 'wo!' It's clear that she's not being competitive about it, in any respect, and is demonstrating..or just really likes to see things fly around, either is plausible. As a ship, it would also be easy to see it as shelling, with a really soft, inflatable shell. While she's not sparing more fingers to smile, it's clear that she's pleased with their host's appraisal of her beach ball. "It - is cute," she reaffirms, agreeably.

    While Wo was content to just bounce the ball back and forth, and was just about to direct the Ri-class cruiser to try, should she wish, she is distracted by Samar's explanation of sport. The surface people have a saying, 'you're not wrong.' She'd just never really thought about it that way before. A quizzical look, soon replaced by one of realization, "Exercises.. So - surface dwellers, also do those." With that in mind, she suddenly throws her superhuman strength into the next bounce that comes her way, causing the ball to visibly cave at the impact before rocketing back at Lute. The face on the ball, for all the world, at that moment, almost looks like it has 'teardrops' and a suddenly worried look as it's headed right for him.

Ri (710) has posed:
"-Ohhhh!" Ri lets out as fun is explained. "Rescuing... Sisters... Destroying... The enemy! These cause... ...Happiness?" she isn't sure on that last count. But she definitely felt less awful when she was trying to murder Kuma so that she could return to her true form. When everything is suffering, a lessening of suffering is like happiness, right? Right! So she goes running over to her gauntlets, feeling the squish of sand between her toes, the heat of the sun on her cold, wet flesh, and announces, "Ri is ready... To destroy!" She's going to start shooting everything, isn't she?

But once again, the Admiral saves her from disaster. She skids to a halt as she listens to the explanation offered. She looks at the ball. Then to Lute. And she says, "...That is... Completely... Idiotic." But the explanation that its a form of BATTLE of showing SUPERIORITY makes much more sense. She nods her head enthusiastically. "You are... So smart... And knowledgeable... of humans, Admiral!" she asserts, with her fists clenched.

She is still wearing the bunny ears on her head. She watches Wo's serve with the ball, and then her putting all she has into the next volley. And then she uses thumbs and forefingers on each hand to spread her lips open in a mimicry of Wo to offer encouragement for her sister in showing the human what-for. It looks less like a smile and more like some kind of nightmarish Hellraiser-style face.

Especially since there is no mirth in her eyes whatsoever.

Freaking slasher smile ghost ships and their lack of comprehension.

Lute may be one of the few people in the Confederacy who can actually find Uncanny Valley creatures attractive. So, for as long as he survives, he should be having plenty of 'fun'.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute nods at Samar, "Yeah, granted, the Unown sought me out on their own, but. Only because of things that happened before Unification. They're incredibly useful. They're the only Pokemon I can just communicate with mentally now, and I've got a number of tricks with them. In fact, I keep at least some of them close at all times."

     With this, one of the Unown flies out from the treeline, to float in front of Samar. It has sort of a weird shape that one might /almost/ be able to tell is a letter, if one knew they had shapes like letters. This one is specifically shaped like the letter B. It remains floating in front of Samar a bit, at least long enough for her to examine it a bit if she really wished.

     He bounces the ball back and forth with Wo for a bit. And then, the explanation of it being a method of demonstrating 'superiority'. Lute pauses. While he is, in fact, rather powerful and well built, he can't quite manage without his Pokemon. Yes, he beat D, but only with his Unown boosting him.

     So there really is no way he can dodge that. For a second, he just stares, somewhat ready to try and hit it back. Time is almost standing still for a second, as he remembers something earlier. He compared his life to being in a harem manga... And he forgot the sort of bad luck harem protagonists get into. He considers this likely a form of either karma, or poetic justice.

     The ball hits him in the face. The force of the impact hits him in ways that a human body really shouldn't. The ball continues to push him, causing him to skid across much of the beach, until the ball bounces back, arching somewhat to land towards Ri.

     Lute is left there, laying down. Trying to catch his breath.

     "...Generally full strength isn't used for this. It's... light exercise."

     He pauses a bit. Realizing he is in a small crater. He holds his hand up.

     "...Could one of you give me a hand getting up?"

     He can get out on his own, but, it'd take a moment.

Samar (494) has posed:
    The Unown takes up Samar's interest for a few moments, curiously sitting up to examine the strange creature and distracting her from doing anything to spare Lute the fate of Wo's fury. The Unown floats off just in time for Samar to glance over and see Lute go flying and skidding into his final resting place. The Princess stares, blinks, then lets out a slow sigh. "You know they're a little more fragile than we are, right, Wo?" she asks, sliding off the chair to her feet. She doesn't sound annoyed, though; more like a parent gently nudging her child.

    Her drink is set down before she strides over to Lute, glancing over her shoulder at the other Abyssals again. "Usually they're not so violent about it. It's competition, but...gentler. You were doing it right the first time." She flashes a pointy little smirk at Wo, though. "...but that was a nice hit. Good job, Wo."

    Once she reaches Lute, she takes a minute to check exactly how deeply embedded in the sand he is at the moment. Once she's figured it out, she leans down, firmly grasps his arm by the wrist, braces her feet...and /pulls/. She may rely on the symbiote to do the heavy lifting, but it's obvious she's very capable herself, too; Lute is pulled free with only a single hard tug.

Wo has posed:
    It's right about the time that she's sent the ball all but screaming towards Lute, and that he has his deer in headlights moment, that she only belatedly realizes that she possibly overdid it. It wasn't so much that she's worried for his safety, as it's still ultimately an inflated ball and he's presumably an Elite - a concept she's come to understand recently. But..misunderstandings in a social context, especially in the presence of their unquestioned leader, aren't precisely her ideal. When Lute finally comes to a stop, she actually holds out her hands toward him apologetically, and she manages a slightly worried expression, as she mumbles her designation a few times. "R-right.. ..Samar. I am - sorry, Lute," she gets out, once she recaptures her wits. Fortunately, the ball must be a minor, inanimate Elite itself, as it survives to land in front of Ri, its toothy, emblazoned mouth somehow..relieved to be resting there.

    After Samar extracts him, and Lute's words prove that he's at least alright in some capacity, she seems similarly to have had some weight lifted. Averting her eyes at Samar's praise, she says in a subdued tone, "Practicing..direct combat, lately. --multiverse, opponents, don't wait." It's the only way she could think to phrase her ongoing issues with the Elites that just gun straight for her, whereas at least the Fleet Daughters have the good sense to stay back and wait for her planes to sink them! But, this is a day for having fun, and rather than have the potential for embarassing herself further, she will let Samar and Lute have whatever moment they will over there, while she steps up to Ri. Scooping up the ball in her hands, and taking Samar's words to heart, she suggests, "Let's bounce.. For a while. Then - let's eat." It's unspoken, but briefly her eyebrows furrow, as she - almost telepathically - relates to her abyssal sister that surface food is odd, but not unpleasant.

Ri (710) has posed:
Oh. So many compications to this 'fun'. You can only have it in certain ways, and only to certain degrees, and blah blah blah wah wah wah wo wo wo. Ri lets go of her face with her hands and looks down as the inflatable projectile lands before her. She bends down to pick up the ball after several moments of laboring mentally over what to do, but takes so long that Wo picks it up, leaving her clutching at empty air. She straightens back up in a mix of confusion and embarassment, and waits for instructions on what to do next. Then there is suggestion from Wo that they 'bounce' for awhile.

Well, she doesn't really have a ball, so... She just hops up and down, in place. It causes SOME things to bounce, anyway. And this is part of playing with the ball, right? She isn't sure if she's having fun yet, but Lute seems to still be smiling even after being practically buried in the ground, so they must be doing SOMETHING right. Smiling is tied to happiness, right? Or maybe he's baring his teeth at her. She isn't sure. She resists baring her teeth back for now until it's clarified.

She is informed telepathically that surfacer food isn't unpleasant, so she decides she'll have to try some then. Because pleasantness is part of fun too it seems. "How long... Must we... Bounce?" she asks between awkward jumps. Fortunately her outfit isn't as skimpy as some others so the possibility of a wardrobe malfunction is less likely.

She is somewhat jealous of Wo getting compliments from the Admiral however. So, she resolves to try even harder to do this fun thing right, and jumps around even more wildly. If she keeps this up she is probably going to fall on her face again as she leaps with her fists clenched, kind of like... >_<.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute isn't too surprised by Samar's strength. After all, he's been dating Serori for a while. He is really used to stupidly powerful women. He's pulled forward rapidly. But, unfortunately, his legs get caught on the sand a bit as he is pulled towards Samar, causing him to trip. This, of course, leads to a quite fortunate turn of events. At least, fortunate for Lute. His face lands squarely in Samar's chest.

     He stays there for just a few seconds more than it should take to pull away.Smiling.

     "Thank you for that. I could have gotten out on my own eventually, but... Yeah. That really helped a lot."

     Yeah, he considers a bit. How best to act now? Though, he gets an idea, and places one hand on Samar's lower back, to guide her back to the others. "Come on, let's join them. And we can all... Bounce together, yes."

     When they get back to Wo and Ri, Lute just smiles at Wo. "Well... If you feel sorry, there is a way you could make it up to me. Give me a kiss, and I'll forgive you, okay?"

     This is, at least, worth a shot.

     And, as Ri bounces, Lute just stares for a bit. Sure, she isn't the curviest, but still, this, too, he is enjoying. And a smile.

     "That's not what she meant by bounce... But if everyone wants to bounce like that for a bit, I'm fine with it, too!"

     A hopeful glance at Samar and Wo.

Samar (494) has posed:
    At least Samar is sturdy enough not to fall right over when Lute stumbles into her, though it's hard to tell whether that makes things more or less awkward. The Princess just freezes for a moment, eyes widened, expression settled on "perplexed" as she stares down at Lute. She doesn't fail to notice him lingering, and given his earlier staring, she puts two and two together easily.

    She's not smiling when he emerges, but at least she doesn't seem angry. Just ever more aware of the peculiarities of humans. "Helped," she repeats a little flatly. "Yes, I'm sure it did."

    Samar lets go of him once he's clearly able to stand on his own, folding her arms under her chest and staring up at Lute as if waiting for him to follow through on that. And he does, guiding her along back to the others. Still with her arms crossed, she walks over with him, head held high and posture straight. Seems he can try whatever he'd like, but she's not really one to respond to such things. Better than he might think, worse than he might hope.

    When the suggestion of bouncing is offered, though, Samar gives a flat-eyed stare up at him, as if she feels like her burning gaze alone is enough to communicate that she's fully aware of the intentions of this suggestion. Choosing not to even offer a verbal response to that after she's sure she's bored a hole through Lute, she instead slips over to Wo, unfolds her arms, and delivers a quick upward spike to knock the ball right out of Wo's hands! Then she jumps up high, lifting her hand to meet the ball when it descends and spike it down to Ri. "Ri!" It's not a very strong hit, but she calls the cruiser's name anyway, just to be sure the girl gets out of her bouncing in time to notice the ball descending toward her.

    Whatever happens there, Samar lands on the beach again, stands up straight, and folds her arms back over her chest. A glance is shifted Lute's way. "I think that's plenty of bouncing for now."

Wo has posed:
    "Ah--" Wo stares a bit as Ri begins doing her bouncing, as that is entirely not what she meant. If she were a bit more human-like, she might perhaps even allow a stifled laugh at the misunderstanding, but as it is she has this mixture of puzzlement and subdued, very distant amusement. "I meant..bounce, the ball," she says, helpfully, and then her attention swings over to the approaching Lute and Samar - which also serves as distraction enough that Samar has no trouble at all knocking the ball out of her hands. "Wo--" It was almost like she'd just felt a sudden gust of wind, rather than her boss swiping by, and her hands clasp only air for a few moments. Fast for their designations - that's an abyssal ship for you!

    She stands ready to bounce back anything Ri might respond with, now that she's had a chance to process what just transpired. Lute isn't ignored, either, though, so she splits her attention for the sake of their gracious, speedo-clad host, though his own suggestions are met with a slight trace of suspicion, but for the most part confusion and indifference. If this is the way that surface dwellers handle these 'date' things, she can't really argue by now. "Hmm," she ponders, taking a break from the bouncing - in all respects - to turn to Lute. Putting two and two together in her own way, she emulates what he'd done to greet all three of them earlier, reaching to clasp his hand in hers, and place a fairly 'safe' kiss atop it. That is, assuming he doesn't yank his hand away in alarm. "There," she states firmly, either way, but then wonders and gives a glimpse into her inexperience all over again, "--is this, how all - surface people..apologise?" The even more impressionable Ri is also listening, you know, so make it good.

    Even though it's more of an emulation of a human's form, it can still get hungry from all this bouncing and confusion over social customs. So after a little while longer, she quirks an eyebrow and places a hand over her stomach, then holds up a hand. "No more bouncing. Time - to eat."

Ri (710) has posed:
Ri stops her bouncing at Wo's correction, and lands somewhat unsteadily. She's used to being on the water, not the land. And she's certainly not used to jumping. She'd be gasping for breath after all the unusual exertion if she were a human. As it is, she's just kind of off-balance and somewhat tired. "A-ah..." she offers. Then she hears her name called and sees Samar and Lute have come over. The ball is spiked at her, and Ri does her best to punch it as hard as she can despite just having been told to take it easy.

This is done completely by reflex however, and, as always, her aim is terrible. The ball hits her in the face and bounces off, directly towards Wo, and at nowhere near the speed it would have if it had been done at Ri's full strength. She seems more confused than injured though she rubs at the red spot on her nose where she took the blow. When it gets bounced back, she stops fondling her nose and takes another swing at it. Only to swing so hard she spins all the way around and gets hit in the back of the head this time. The ball flies towards Lute this time but hits the ground half-way. Ri just looks around in confusion, unsure what happened.

"...No more... Bouncing...?" she asks, then just accepts it. Just like Wo, all this fun has made her wish to obtain nourishment. She'd be fine just hanging out at Iron Bottom Sound for awhile to recover, but there's this 'not unpleasant food', so maybe that will help stifle her energy needs somewhat. She staggers after Wo, taking the time only to grab Lute's arm and rasperry onto it in her approximation of a kiss, before letting go and heading towards the food.

"...Resupply...?" she asks, not sure what she's looking for. There seemed to be drinks or something, but even that is a foreign concept to her.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute is, of course, slightly disappointed. While it is rare that he notices subtle hints from people, the glaring eyes from a member of the Abyssal Fleet are enough to make him realize what is up. She is on to him. Yeah, she is definitely the most human of them, which also means she realizes the /most/ what he is hoping for. He sighs. Oh well. No more bouncing.

     But, as the ball is spiked at Ri? Lute simply backs up, a bit nervous from what happened.

     As Wo kisses his hands though, he chuckles a bit. "That's... not quite what I meant. But, let me show you what I mean, alright? The way you kiss to say sorry is a special way, only used for people who are 'dating'. And we're on a date right now, right? Copy what I do."

     And, unless someone has the sense to stop him, he's going to lean in and give Wo a kiss on the lips. A soft one.

     He... actually almost feels bad about this, because of the fact that they are kind of inexperienced with the world. But, oh well. They'll sort things out.

     Thank god, though, he is able to leap out of the path of Ri sending the ball right to him. He lets out a brief sigh of relief. Yeah, her aim is a bit worse, but still, he does not want to risk being hit again. And then she blows on his arm. ...Yeah, that works for now, but he'll have to teach her later, too. He smiles, of course, and announces this fact, "Yeah, Ri, you need to practice your kissing more, but I can show you more in a bit if you want."

     But, with Ri confused on the food, Lute has an opportunity. He puts a hand on her lower back, smiling. "Come on, let me show you. This stuff is delicious."

     And, assumedly guiding Ri over to the table, he grabs at something. A strawberry. He shows it to her. "This... Is a strawberry. It is delicious. Let me show you how to eat it."

     He takes a bit out of it, and just tosses aside the green leafy part. And he smiles, grabbing another one, holding it to Ri's mouth.

     "Okay, you try now."

Samar (494) has posed:
    Finally, Samar grins at the exchange of the ball bouncing between Ri and Wo. It's an honest one, too, not something she's forced on herself. Well, if anything good came out of this date, at least it's that.

    That smile fades, though, when she notices Lute moving in on Wo. She's extremely protective of her sisters, there's no doubt about that, but...well, this is relatively harmless. So long as there's no significant discomfort on the part of her Abyssal kin, Samar won't interject, and just slips aside to head back to the seat from before and pick up her drink again.

    If Wo starts thinking that apologies involve makeouts, then Samar will just have to drag Lute down to the abyss to explain that this isn't actually the case. Assuming he survives that. He's durable, right?

    "It doesn't do anything for us the same way it affects you humans," Samar comments on the subject of the strawberry. She takes a moment to sip her drink; interesting flavor, though a little strong. Almost like engine fuel, she thinks, though that's reaching a little. She makes a thoughtful face at the glass before she looks back to Lute with some skepticism. "But go ahead, if you really want. It's not like it's poison or anything."

    She takes another sip, then settles back into her seat, reclining and crossing her legs with another relaxed sigh. "...I'll admit, this was better than I expected. Congratulations, Lute. It's not often I find myself pleased."

Wo has posed:
    Awkward. That's definitely the only word that comes to the carrier's mind, as Lute so harmlessly makes his move. As he's an ally, and had been relatively respectable all evening so far, she doesn't really have any reason to push him away or anything of that sort. Her eyes do widen a bit, but it's more out of puzzling over what he's doing. Uncomfortable, not really, but she doesn't really get it either - must just not be that kind of reaction out of this cobbled together body. Assuming Lute doesn't let the kiss linger too long, she muses afterward, "Surface customs..are weird." So she will at least have the sense to not go kissing on the enemies she somehow finds the heart to regreat harming, which is doubly reinforced by Lute explaining that this is only normal when you're dating someone. She rubs at her lip, a bit like one might after a kiss on the cheek from an aunt they don't see often. "I..don't think - I can do this properly, yet," she finally responds, honestly, "I'll - make it up to you. Later."

    For now, though, there's more important things to be doing. Like tending to that weird feeling in her stomach that is analogous to the days of her old body needing fresh fuel. As Samar has noted, though, surface food - while perhaps satisfying for the sake of its flavor - doesn't do much for this current shell. While Lute tends to her sisters, she helps herself to a little sampling of everything on the menu, accordingly; both surface dweller food, and grabbing a bit of the wreckage resting on the beach and wrenching some bits ot if free with almost alarming ease. Gotta get that iron in your diet. And oil. "--yes, Lute is a very..thoughtful, person," she stumbles a bit over the words, but her appraisal seems genuine, as she joins the others again. She makes sure some of the oil covers even the more human snacks. It's enough to make any food enthusiast tremble.

Ri (710) has posed:
Ah, so this food stuff is useless after all! Samar knows so much about the surface world and everything else! That's why they can always believe everything she tells them. Because she knows best and would never lie to them. Still, it has been indicated it's not bad either. Ri has a bit of curiousity, and as her mind gradually reassembles from the fragments it used to be in, more things like curiousity are coming to her. But right now, it is mostly just the vague to desire to see what the big deal is. She pauses, however, to observe Lute kissing Wo. She analyzes the procedure very carefully, because it's an important custom. "Wo... Maybe we can... Practice... Together." Ri suggests somberly. It makes total sense. It's not like THEY'RE going to be offended if they do it wrong after all.

If Ri had any clue what it was really about she'd be far less eager to volunteer, but even that whole... Dating/relationship thing is a great big question mark. She barely even understands why they're all here. Something about 'fun' wasn't it? When she is offered the strawberry, she looks at it, and... Opens her mouth really wide before chomping down on it. Lute shouldn't probably realize what's about to happen from the lead-up well before it happens, giving him time to let go of the strawberry, pull his hand back, or otherwise spare himself. Because otherwise he might wind up losing a couple fingers, and there's no way he'd let that happen.

If she succeeds in getting the strawberry in her mouth, she'll move it from one cheek to the other back and forth with her tongue, before chewing it several times, almost mechanically, and then swallowing it. Hm. Unusual. She isn't really sure if she has anything to compare it against, so she doesn't know if she likes it. But it's not BAD at least.

...?

...!!!

"-Aaahhhh!" Ri lets out suddenly in surprise. "Those... Chocolates... Were food?" She DID get chocolates from Lute, but she's only just now piecing together what they were. So much to learn. But with the Admiral and her sister Wo to teach her, and weirdos like Lute around, she's sure she'll become a better Abyssal in no time! She has a duty as a Flagship to fulfill after all!

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute honestly was not sure what to expect from this date. His hopes were of course optimistic as usual. But, well. People kept warning him that it was a bit more dangerous to date the Abyssal Fleet, that they are weapons more than anything, stuff like that. But, despite the fact that they don't seem to understand human relationships a bit, they... aren't that bad. Sure, they're murderous, but only to people the Confederacy already hates. Plus, Lute has a murderous streak himself.

     Lute smiles at Wo, though. She accepted the kiss, but is worried about returning it back. He just shakes his head a bit at her, and tries to alleviate her worries. "Don't worry. Just the fact you're considering it is enough. I mean. You're obviously a bit innocent about the ways of the world. But, it's really cute. I'd be fine with teaching you a lot more about the world in general, alright?"

     As feeding the strawberry to Ri, he pulls his fingers back in time. The strawberry still ends up in Ri's mouth, though. He watches as she eats it, and her realization. He laughs a little, "Yeah, the chocolates are food. But wow, you're really energetic and excitable! It's cute. Keeps me on my toes, too! But, you know, if you want to practice kissing, I'd be a better bet. ...But, if you do kiss a girl with a female body type? Be sure to have me there. I need to supervise to make sure you two are doing it right."

     A smile at Samar, though. "I'm glad I could exceed your expectations. Like... I don't know you three well yet? But you three seem like girls I'd like to know more. I mean, Samar... You are powerful. Incredibly, incredibly powerful. And I respect that. I respect it a /lot/. I mean, even more than the design of your body, I find /that/ attractive."

     He pauses, looking around at them all. All of them are having fun. This is a total surprise. So, now... it might be a good moment.

     "...Hey. How about we all get a group photo? I mean, this is a day I want to remember, after all. I even got a camera set up. Everyone just stand next to me, alright?"

     He moves over to be in front of the camera, waiting for the others to join him.

Samar (494) has posed:
    Samar sighs when she hears about Lute's suggestion for when and where Wo and Ri should practice kissing. Slowly, carefully, she slips out of her seat and sets her drink down on the table nearby. Then she walks up to Lute...and gives him a slap on the back of the head.

    Her expression still remarkably neutral, she turns back to Wo and Ri, arms folded over her chest. "You won't be doing that," she remarks plainly. "It ruins productivity and our plans. So, we'll be avoiding waisting our time on such things."

    She does glance back over to Lute, though, this time with a slightly less indifferent expression. One brow is raised, and a light curl lifts the corner of her lips into the ghost of a smile. At least she seems to appreciate that level of flattery; it speaks directly to her ideals, and everything she's built the Abyssals on. "Well...thank you for noticing. I'm proud of my strength, and where it's brought me. So, if you respect that...I think we'll get along fine." Samar's hand lifts again, but only to give him a light flick on his shoulder before she starts moving off to the camera. "Though we'll just have to see, won't we?"

    The ground rumbles as her symbiote lumbers over to join in, looming awkwardly in the back. Talk about photobombing.

Wo has posed:
    Even before Samar said so, it wasn't Wo's intention to take Ri up on her offer. Even if it's difficult to deny a sister of anything, this..surface activity, ironically enough as Lute himself indirectly said, is possibly better left for the surface people to practice. She felt basically nothing from it, not even the faintest chemical signal, thanks to not having a human body..so it's entirely possible that she was just doing it wrong. Regardless, their leader has spoken, and Wo reaches out with a hand to pat the Ri-class on the shoulder, while her other places a shard of metal that would likely rip apart the digestive system of a human being in her mouth. This must be what passes as a snack for them. "Don't - worry about it," she says. Perhaps partially in response to Samar's worries, she further dispels them, "We'll escort - transports after, this. ..will clear, our heads." The fresh sea breeze and normally relative peace of those runs does wonders for the senses and psyche.

    Still, Lute's offer of learning about the world, at face value, isn't something to be turned down. It's a somewhat unfortunate, for the naive, circumstance that this is one of the surface dwellers she'll have gotten to know best, and that presumably won't stab them in the back like that Psyber guy is probably planning, right this second. So she gives a slight nod of her head, looking to Samar to make sure accepting that side of it is okay, "..as long as..it isn't kissing, right now. A lot of - the surface world. Confusing."

    After that business is concluded, and she's swallowed a more human-viscera-friendly piece of berry, she wanders into the photograph's frame. This, at least, is one piece of the surface world with which a ship's soul is familiar, even if the peacetime application of it isn't. "...been..a long time, since..I've had - picture taken," she muses, her eyes going distant for a moment as if some memory were just on the edge of recall. "Feels..nostalgic, somehow." But perhaps to Samar's pleasure, it remains out of grasp. No Ko-class style incident this evening.

Ri (710) has posed:
A hand is placed on the heavy cruiser's shoulder, and she finds peace and comfort in that gesture and contact. Confusion leaves her mind. Her sisters are all she needs. All the rest of this? It's just... Noise. Unnecessary input, flooding her with bewildering thoughts and sensations. And she doesn't need those to fight. If there is anything like love within Ri, anything like 'family', or 'romance', or 'happiness', or 'fun', it is all subsumed into the whole that is her devotion to her sisters - her dedication to protecting the fleet.

When she is ordered not to practice kissing with Wo, or to do so in Lute's presence, she has no objection. It lowers productivity? Even without being given a reason why, she would have obeyed. But now she knows, and knowing is half the battle to not bog down production with make-outs. "Yes, Admiral," Ri answers dutifully, without a hint of hesitation. What the boss says goes, after all.

She doesn't know how to take compliments except from Samar, so all flattery thus far from Lute has been lost upon her. But she at least gathers that Lute has had fun, and she THINKS she has too, and she hopes her sisters have as well. Because otherwise this sortie was entirely pointless and a waste of time and resources. But she isn't confused anymore about needing to have fun or what fun is about. If it happened, it happened. She'll figure it out sometime maybe.

When she has retrieved her shark gauntlets and moved over to the camera, she squints at it, not recognizing it from any memories except in a very general sense. She knows it's a camera and what it does, but nothing personally relevant appears in her mind.

And maybe they are banned from kissing, but Wo has shown her something that they can do together as sisters to show that they... 'Care'. When she notices Wo seeming a bit distant, Ri demonstrates her concern by placing a hand on Wo's shoulder in turn.

"Are you...?" she asks, without really knowing what to ask exactly. 'Well? Okay? Feeling okay? Suffering poisoning from Lute's kissing?' and eventually settles for, "...Operating at full capacity...?"

Wo has posed:
    Not quite startled by Ri's return of her earlier gesture, but still caught off-guard somewhat, Wo glances in her direction for a long moment. She's, at the instant it's asked, not certain of that herself. But after she's had time to reflect on it, she gives a nod of her head, "I was only - distracted. I'm..fine, Ri-class." With that she does the seemingly impossible, and actually gives the very faintest trace of a smile, without having to force it with her fingers. It's very subtle, though, and soon fades as it, just as quickly, the ability is seemingly lost. "It's been...fun. ---I think." With this, she's ready for her closeup.

Lute (188) has posed:
     The last little bit, Lute listens to well. These girls... They really aren't human, are they? But, still. He feels it'd be best to keep treating them no differently than the other girls.

     I mean, even when Samar smacks him in the back of the head, he just chuckles and looks back to her. "Sorry, it was like, totally worth a shot, though. But hey, I won't encourage that behavior between them anymore, okay? But, still. At some point, I'd like to go on missions with you girls."

     And, he stands with the others, between Ri and Wo, likely with Samar nearby too, though.

     "Alright, everyone. The camera is voice controlled, so be ready. And, 'Take a picture'."

     The red light on the camera begins to blink few a few seconds.

     Lute reaches out to firmly grasp at Ri and Wo's rears.

     The camera flashes.

     Lute's death may or may not be coming soon.

Ri (710) has posed:
Ri lowers her hand from Wo's shoulder when she receives confirmation all is well. And she notes the small smile from her sister and... Feels... Good about that for some reason she can't explain. She kind of almost-smile herself. There's a tug at the corners of her mouth at least. She acknowledge's desire to sortie with them sometime with an affirmative, 'Hm!' But then it's time to have their picture taken, and Ri reattaches her shark gauntlets so that they can participate too. She stares glassily into the camera. And then Ri's butt is grabbed and she lets out a surprised noise but doesn't really try to prevent it, though her hips move forward a bit reflexively. The camera goes off, and Ri has a very confused expression and seems to be partially-moving away from something behind her in the resulting photograph.

When it's all over, she just kind of looks down at Lute's hand and... Stares in perplexity. Another custom? Then she looks up at Samar to see if this approved, before looking at Wo. She thinks for a second, and decides not to offer to help practice this custom. Surface-world customs are best left to the surface-world.

"'Fun'," she says blandly.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute just smiles at the group a bit. Happily.

     "...Well. This is a total blast. Like. The fun isn't done yet, but? We should totally do this again sometime! Heck, sometime we should each meet up one on one for dates."

     A glance at each of them as he says this. Yeah, he is hoping to keep dating them, even if they don't get it.

     But, at the least, the fun will last a couple hours more. Volleyball, food, drinks! And so, the date with these three and Lute, somehow, does not end up a total disaster.

     Which means a lot of people who likely were taking bets on this sort of thing are losing their cash.