18079/Beach Bums

Beach Bums
Date of Scene:	27 May 2024
Location:	Ruby Cove
Synopsis:	A teenaged devil and an Atlantean noble walk into a beach...
Cast of Characters:	Kid Devil, Elas

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Kid Devil has posed:
    Kid Devil is meandering along the beach, carrying a slim metallic box in his hands. He's in just his trousers-- a heat-proof carbon fiber material that allllmost looks like leather in the right lighting-- as he strides along with his tail swirling behind. Every step along the water's edge causes steam to erupt from the water splashing his feet. Unlike a lot of other people that come here he's not just taking in the view: he stops every few meters to pick up a pebble, stick it into the box, and wait. When a red light comes on he removes the sample and lobs it over his shoulder as he resumes his apparently VERY specific search.

Elas has posed:
In a secluded section of an already secluded beach sits a teenager by himself. A few things make this young man stand out. First, the shape of his ears and eyebrows are a bit...off, a little elfin maybe, marking him as something not quite human. Next, his only attire -- a pair of tan shorts -- seem to be causing him some trouble. He fidgets and grumbles and keeps trying to readjust them in a frustrated manner. And maybe strangest of all, he has a pile of fish, most of which are still wriggling, in front of him in the sand...and he's eating one raw, tearing aside skin and bone with expert precision and sucking out the meat.

Other than the frustration with his garb, he seems to just be enjoying his snack and the peacefulness. When he sees Kid Devil approaching, his forehead wrinkles in concentration. What *is* this being walking through the water and turning it into steam? Elas fluidly rised to his feet. He wipes the back of his hand along his mouth and chin, clearing away some blood from the raw fish. He then wipes it on his shorts, which gives him that psychotic serial killer vibe. He doesn't speak but he's obviously staring at Kid Devil with undisguised curiosity.

Kid Devil has posed:
    Kid Devil might not appear like a typical oceanic demon. Aren't those blue? Or green? And they usually freeze things instead of burning them. Anyway, he's not causing anyone any trouble as he does his pick-up-scan-grumble-toss routine over and over.
    He hears an odd cracking sound from that direction but it's far enough away to be of no concern. What really, finally gets him to stop and look up is the *sense* he's being glared at. He lifts his head and peers out at the ocean as if thinking the observer is out there. Then over his shoulder. Lastly he swivels this way and aims those luminous yellow eyes at Elas.
    Just to complete the image of some kind of mischievous imp he suddenly grins, baring those little fangs, and he starts heading over. "Hi!" he calls as he gives a cheery wave. The box is released from his grasp to hang loose on a strap across his chest. "Oh, sorry, is this a 'private' beach? I heard they have a lot of those around here..."

Elas has posed:
When Elas speaks, one might reasonably infer that he doesn't talk often and that based on his sharp accent, he's not from around here. The accent is hard to place unless one spends time with Atlanteans. Otherwise it might sounds almost Greek-like.

"This is not a private beach. Or if it is then I am an intruder here."

His open curiosity about Kid Devil could not accurately be described as glaring. More inquisitive, interested, analytical. He bends down and grabs a fish from his pile and holds it out. "Are you hungry? You may share in my food."

Kid Devil has posed:
    Kid Devil comes closer, and closer. He glances down to make sure he's restrained his heat enough to keep from leaving glass footprints in the sand. The gold rings along his tail gleam with the swaying while the teen devil tilts his head at that accent. So interesting! But no, he decides, can't place it.
    "Then we can be intruders together! Hah!" He looks to the pile of fish with some curiosity of his own, only to look up and blink again when he's offered one. Those eyes flicker like strobes until Eddie finally reaches over to grasp it carefully with his claw-tipped fingers. "Thanks! These look great. So fresh. Where are they... Uh, did you catch all of those yourself?"
    As the devil turns the fish over in his grasp it lets out a burst of steam from being essentially flash-fried. "Oh, did you want me to cook those other ones for you?"

Elas has posed:
The young Atlantean noble has seen many strange (to him) sights since he arrived to the surface world not long ago. But thus far none can top this peculiar being. Coming from a culture that doesn't place the same importance on personal boundaries that so many surface cultures do, Elas reaches up and touches one of Kid Devil's horns. "What are these for? Are they weapons? They are like small narwhal tusks!"

Elas watches Kid Devil use some sort of power to rapidly heat the fish. He actually smiles at that. What an extraordinary way to do such an odd thing! He picks up another fish from his pile and holds it out for Kid Devil. "Okay!" he says pleasantly. "I caught them myself, yes. I just eat them as they are but I would like to try it your way!"

Kid Devil has posed:
    Kid Devil peels the skin of his fish up and away so he can spear a chunk of meat onto his little claw, using it like a fork. Or a trident, even. He considers carefully while he nibbles at it and makes a mellow 'hmm!' sound. "Hey, that's not bad. Could use some coriander, maybe. A squirt of lime-- what are you do--"
    Clearly unaccustomed to people trying to touch him, Eddie goes still and hastily focuses on lowering his temperatures to a safer level. When Elas makes contact there's still intense heat to the touch, enough to make the droplets on Elas' fingertips fizzle, but at least not enough to cause an injury. Otherwise the devil boy does his best to cooperate until Elas has sated his curiosity. "They, uh, they're just my horns," he murmurs. "I don't think they're sharp enough to do much damage..."
    Being prodded like that causes another odd reaction: a brief rush of yellow radiance to the devil's cheeks, before he coughs and steadies himself again. Having a task to focus on certainly helps, so Eddie quickly grabs the next fish and does the 'trick' again. Sort of like the classic Superman gag of squeezing coal into a diamond, but much more practical. "Here, tell me what you think. Next time I should bring my spice kit."

Elas has posed:
The Atlantean pulls his hand back quickly and shakes his fingers. The reaction is more pronounced than it might be in a human, which may offer Kid Devil a clue that Elas is sensitive to heat. "You are very hot," he says curiously, peering at his own fingers. No harm done.

But very little motivates Elas more than food, so when Kid Devil produces another cooked fish, the Atlantean takes it happily. He watches how Kid Devil peels his own cooked fish, and Elas does the same. He picks out a steaming pieces of meat and pops it in his mouth. He peers off into the distance as he concentrates on experiencing the new way of eating fish. He tips his head first one way then the other. "It is...it loses its flavor," he remarks curiously. "You should try it my way. It tastes more rich and full." But he definitely does finishes the food. His close bond to the natural world makes wasting food a distasteful concept.

Kid Devil has posed:
    "I-- uh--" Phrasing. The light in Kid Devil's cheeks returns for an instant. "Um, yes, sorry about that, I tried to dial it down when I saw your hand moving. If I'm not trying to hold it down I get pretty warm. And the horns, they don't dissipate quite the same. I would have warned you, I just wasn't expecting... Sorry."
    Abashed, he nibbles at his lower lip until he can bring his thoughts back to the discussion of food. "Well, this is what I meant, yeah. It needs seasoning. Next time we're intruding here I can make something more like a proper dish, yeah? But I do like sushi as well. I just need to concentrate extra-hard while I'm eating it so it doesn't get cooked before I swallow it." He grins at that and shrugs. "Having to focus on what I'm eating, oh no, how terrible is that. I think it makes me appreciate stuff more..."

Elas has posed:
Elas put it all together suddenly. His face lights up with excitement. "You produce heat naturally! Like a hot spring!" He circles around Kid Devil once, padding through the sand with his bare feet. "And you can turn it up and down when you want?" He holds his palm out a few inches from the devil's chest and actually laughs a little. "I live under the water, I have never seen one such as you before. I hope we will be friends!"

Once he finishes the cooked fish he tosses the remains aside carelessly. There is no such thing as littering in the sea when it comes to food. You simply discard whatever you don't consume and something downstream in the food chain will finish it for you.

"Well I also live here. I mean, not at this beach. Do you know what Happy Harbor is? It is a school where I am a student!" It's just a high school but there is something about the way that Elas makes the statement that indicates he is either very pleased or very proud of that fact.

Kid Devil has posed:
    Kid Devil blinks again but he can't help but grin at the infectious excitement. He obligingly swings his tail up and out of the way to let Elas pass behind him. In front again, even restrained, he's like a space heater when Elas puts his hand that close. "Yyyyeah, like a hot spring," because that's better than what people usually say. "If I don't exert a little control it's usually around six-hundred degrees. I had to figure out how to make everything in my place fireproof..." Rather than get brought down by that he focuses on the other thing. "Friends? Oh, sure! You seem nice. Nobody ever gave me a whole raw fish before."
    Eddie looks back toward town and nods. "Sure, yeah, I saw it on my way here. Oh, you're a student *there*. That explains a lot." And leaves so many more questions. But answers will come. For now the devil boy reaches a hand out, now that he's very carefully lowered his temperature to that of a normal human. "I'm Eddie!"
    Not exactly a *secret* identity, but it's not like he can be a whole other persona just by putting on a pair of glasses.

Elas has posed:
As Kid Devil is extending a hand, Elas is putting his arms wide and moving in for a hug. But then he stops himself and he looks at the hand. "Yes, Yes, I am sorry. Professor Gerring did tell me that hugging is not a common surface world greeting." Instead he reach out and grabs Eddie's hand. Wow. This fucking kid is /strong/. He seems to try to attenuate his strength, though. Much like Eddie modulating his heat, Elas must do the same with many surface worlders who are more fragile than beings evolved to live beneath thousands of tons of water pressure.

"My name is Elas Anthos," he says with undisguised enthusiasm, shaking Eddie's hand then releasing it. "You are my first friend on the surface world!" he exclaims. His personality doesn't seem to contain the social nuances and carefully guarded emotional responses of the human world. He's happy to make a new friend, so why wouldn't he make that known?

Kid Devil has posed:
    When he sees the other boy preparing to hug Eddie tenses slightly, mostly in surprise, but then when it seems he'll escape with just a handshake he starts to relax again. If Eddie notices the strength he doesn't remark on it. He's not applying his own, after all, or maybe he's just that durable. "There's, uh, nothing wrong with-- I mean, hugging's fine, just, sometimes people want to be asked. It can be seen as very *familiar*. And some people are very warm. Or maybe have spikes that pop out! You never know."
    He grins though and lightly grips Elas' hand while he performs a sort of cartoonishly courtly bow. "Edward Bloomberg," he says in a playful, snooty tone. "Wait, surface world? Oh, so you're from-- yeah. That explains a *lot*. So much."
    He does that thing again, where his cheeks light up with a faint yellow glow. "Oh! Well you're my first friend from underwater. So there is symmetry, yeah?"

Elas has posed:
The Atlantean nods at Eddie's well-intentioned advice. "Yes, I am sorry. This was explained to me before but sometimes it is difficult to remember." There is no pride or ego at being corrected. He merely acknowledges his error and seems intent to do better.

"What are your people called, Edward Bloomberg? I am most curious to learn all about you!" He lithely collapses down to a cross-legged sitting position. He frowns and tries adjusting the damnable shorts again. Clearly he doesn't like them. He gestures to the pile of fish. "Please, eat as many as you like, Edward. It is easy for me to catch more." He picks up another fish and tears into it raw. He again gets blood on his face, which might seem a bit gruesome to more "civilized" people who eat their food cooked."

Kid Devil has posed:
    Kid Devil lets the topic of hugs drift away then, since it's been Handled. He invites himself to sit in a mirror of Elas' pose, though he seems to have none of the difficulties with his wardrobe. Despite having much of the appearance of leather it has a definite stretch to bend easily with his movements like any good superheroing outfit.
    "Oh, thanks! You did suggest trying one raw... but... that's not exactly *sushi* is it." Eddie takes another and cooks it before he carries on nibbling. "My... people? Uhh, I mean, my family's Jewish-- oh, you mean the. The whole thing. Right. Well! Funny story."
    No, it really isn't.
    "But the short version is, this is actually genetic. I'm just another regular guy from LA, that's all," he insists, before taking another slow, thoughtful bite of his snack.
    "What about you? I don't know much about the underwater folks, other than what's on the news. And that's all so slanted it's hard to know what to take seriously. You haven't tried to conquer this beach even once in the whole time I've been here."

Elas has posed:
Almost certainly Elas doesn't have the slightest clue what things like "my family's Jewish" or "regular guy from LA" means. But he listens with distinct interest, eating raw fish as he does. "So you are a mutant then?" Elas inquires genuinely. He doesn't say "mutant" with any of the undertones or connotations that many top-worlders say it. He says it like any other noun. Seashell. Atlantean. Coral reef. Mutant. No difference.

He wipes more of the blood from his mouth with his hand and then wipes his hand on his shorts. They are getting grosser, bloodier, and smellier.

The Kingdom of Atlantis is beneath the Atlantic Ocean. I come from a city called Poseidonis. I will be a duke someday and my family wanted me to be educated partially among the top-worlders." He shrugs a little bit. He seems like he's being mostly honest, but being a sincere person means he's a terrible liar. It's possible that Eddie might sense that Elas is holding some details back.

Kid Devil has posed:
    Kid Devil waggles his hand back and forth, with chunks of seared fish speared onto the tips of his claws. "My badge at work has me listed as a 'metahuman'," he answers. "I suppose they use that because it's a little less... loaded, as terms go? I guess in the strictest sense, it's a mutation, sure. Honestly I don't think about it all that much. I'm just me."
    Eddie carries on nibbling while he watches Elas eat, and make a mess of those shorts, but he doesn't hint at any distaste or objection. He looks up and lifts a thin white brow. "A *duke*? I don't think I've met a... nobility before. Huh."
    There's a fleeting stasis in his expression as he considers Elas, probably recognizing the same hesitation to *overshare*. Then he offers a slight, but very empathetic smile, before declining to press on that topic. They just met! It's so early to ruin things by being nosy.
    "so, uh, is there something wrong with those shorts? I assumed you guys had all sorts of great materials down there, but if you want I could make you something that's... waterproof?" I.e., won't accumulate bloodstains in a way that makes Elas look like a sloppy serial killer.

Elas has posed:
Elas grunts and tugs and twists the shorts with clear frustration. "They are so terrible!" he says, with a small grin on his face. "I was scolded on the school grounds when I walked to the cafeteria without any clothes. Apparently this embarrasses top-worlders. My parents paid someone to buy me surface clothes so I would fit in and they are all so horrifying. Well except for alpaca wool. It is so soft and lovely. I have a sweater made from it and it is my favorite surface clothing."

He lifts his eyebrows with visible surprise. "You make clothes, Edward? Are you a tailor? I would very much like it if you made me something. I could give you some gold for it. My parents gave me some to cover expenses. But everything at school is free." It's probably not free, but Elas' parents paid a healthy stipend to Happy Harbor to foster him for a few years.

Kid Devil has posed:
    Kid Devil listens attentively, right up to the part where he hears about Elas walking around without clothes. Those glowing eyes go wide, the jaw drops, and Eddie's cheeks flare with an intense light.
    It takes him several moments to recover, stammering, gulping, and stuffing his mouth with fish so he doesn't have to say anything. The tail thrashes around wildly, thumping on the sand and sending waves of it splashing around behind him.
    "Y-you can just call me Eddie," he chokes out, coughing, maybe even pretending to have briefly swallowed a fishbone. "I don't think I could call myself a *tailor* but I had to learn how to print up my own outfits. Alpaca wool is nice and all but it's not exactly fireproof, you know?"
    He finishes off one fish but he desperately needs another to give his hands and his mouth something to stay busy. He grabs another and almost burns it in his frantic effort to occupy himself, but he starts eating it anyway. Mmm, fishdust. "Oh, I don't need gold. This is all made of carbon-based alloys and polymers. Costs practically nothing to make. I'd just need to take some--"
    Eddie chokes again when he realizes what he's got himself into. Though he wheezes out, "--measurements."

Elas has posed:
Elas is neither innocent nor a fool. He's a handsome boy of royal blood. He has had many male and female suitors attempt to wind their way into the Anthos Family halls, only to be turned away. He grins a bit. "Edward suits you better," he says. "It is a noble name full of warmth. And I think that you are blushing. I am sorry if I have embarrassed you. I still am learning the ways of top-worlders." He politely leaves the last fish for Eddy, moving it closer to the other teen. "I make many mistakes, which I think is why my parents sent me here." Mostly the truth, but still he is holding back. A shrug, that casual gesture of deflection and summation.

Kid Devil has posed:
    Oh, great. Being called out for his reaction only makes it worse, and Eddie has to lean to one side to get his coughing fit done. First it's blasts of steam and ashes from the fish, causing the air to ripple with the heat. But the last few bursts are intense flames, enough to melt the sand and fuse it into a broad glass bowl. Slowly he recovers his composure and sits up, rubbing at his mouth with the back of his hand. "Sorry, I just, um. Yeah. Well, if you wanna call me Edward, that's fine, too. My mom will appreciate it."
    He grins again, flashing those little fangs. Small, probably not even that sharp.
    He pries the accidental bowl out of the sand and scrubs the loose grit off the bottom of it. "Uh, here," he offers. But, having worked up an appetite from whatever he's been working on, he takes that last fish to fry up much more carefully-- respectfully-- so he can continue nibbling.
    "We all make mistakes," he offers quietly, almost too quiet to be heard over the waves breaking behind him. "Other people will punish us enough for them, yeah? We don't need to do it to ourselves, too."

Elas has posed:
Elas ohs when Eddie hands him the makeshift bowl. He peers at it and blinks a few times then smiles. "Thank you, Edward. You have many talents." He sets the bowl next to him in the sand.

"I was betrothed by my family to marry," he says. It's not really a segue, more of a merciful changing of the subject to allow Eddy some decompression time. But he doesn't look any older than 15 or 16, so Atlantean ways apparently have many subtle differences from top-worlder ways. "But my betrothed..." He tips his head. "You would call her a fiance, I think? She died unexpectedly." He doesn't speak with remorse or anger or self-pity. He is just relating a personal story to a new and valued friend. "I have never had to be involved with romance before because my path was determined when I was just five years old. It is the way of our royal line." He shrugs once more. He has already mastered that gesture apparently. "Now, I think, nobody knows what to do with me. I am so old and have no betrothal. So here I am in this strange land."

Kid Devil has posed:
    "Not really a talent, I just didn't want to leave it out to break and hurt somebody," Kid Devil counters. "And I... have a bunch of them already."
    He runs a hand through his hair to push back behind his own pointy ears. Despite being out here a while he's not even damp; sometimes a cloud of mist will blow over him, only to fizz away into steam.
    When he senses Elas is about to say something more serious he straightens up and listens attentively. His expression shifts along with the beats but he remains quiet until he's pretty sure the story is over.
    "I'm so sorry to hear that," he says with more sincerity than the usual perfunctory way people say it.
    "You're not *that* old, though? Are you?" He squints, those bright eyes narrowing to thin yellow beams. "Are underwater people like *elves*? Are you, like, a hundred or something?"

Elas has posed:
The question posed by Eddy gets a honest, genuine smile and laugh from Elas. He shakes his head, causing his errant bangs to shift in front of his eyes. He pushes them aside with a casual, practiced flick of one hand. "No, Edward, I am not a hundred," he says with warm amusement. "Atlanteans do live longer than humans, but I am sixteen years old. Already I have finished our equivalent of high school and served my compulsory two years of military service. Our people do not pressure each other in the ways of love or marriage. But as a member of a royal family, I do not ha..." He stops and considers. "...Well, I /did/ not have such a luxury. But any chance to marry for he benefit of the family has probably passed me by at my age." And here it comes again: he shrugs. He loves that gesture. "So maybe now I will be able to marry for love." More is left unsaid as evidenced by him shifting his gaze guiltily away from Eddy.

He traces some meaningless patterns in the sand with a fingertip. "What of you, Edward? Has your heart been captured by someone?"

Kid Devil has posed:
    Kid Devil does look sort of relieved to have been wrong about his supposition. It's hard to be friends with someone *that* much older, he assumes. they don't even play the same video games.
    He listens further, though, nodding, but curious. "The way you describe it," he ventures cautiously, "you make it sound almost like you are... let me try to phrase this carefully, so don't take it wrong? But you make it sound like you're out from under an obligation that other people put on you. But you also seem sad about it, beyond losing your-- I assume she was your friend as well, if you grew up together. Sorry if that came out wrong, I don't know anything about how any of that works. I'm just thinking out loud. It's a bad habit."
    The question put to him halts him, with a chunk of fish halfway to his mouth. "Uhhh, no, no, I mean, it's not really an option, what with the whole. Situation." He gestures down at himself, then resumes patiently devouring the fish.

Elas has posed:
"We were very close friends, Kalay and I," Elas answers. "Not marrying her was never a choice open to me so I grew up accepting it and making the best of it. Fortunately, she was smart and beautiful and had a singular wit. I miss her. But all tides eventually change and so I must accept what is unchangeable." He is very much a creature of fate and duty, raised in the royal way, which is a way of both privilege and sacrifice. Is this what they mean by the term gilded cage?

"Surely in all this world there must be someone who can see the kindness that beats in your heart," Elas says in response to Eddy's self-denigrating words. He reaches out -- slowly this time so Eddy can adjust his heat -- and pats his chest where (he assumes) Eddy's heart is. Then he pulls his arm back and sits up. "There is so much diversity and wonder in this world. And the old saying goes that every sea anemone has its clownfish." Maybe...maybe it loses something in the translation.

Kid Devil has posed:
    Eddie observes. He analyzes. This is what he does for fun, with materials and energies and samples. But it also works on people. "I get the impression that noble families don't really raise their kids to adapt. They get used to things being the same way for hundreds of years. Thousands, maybe. I would expect that to make a society very-- brittle?"
    He's looking away, musing on that, when he notices Elas reaching toward him again. He tenses as he pulls his latent heat in. There's enough left on his dark red skin to sizzle droplets of fish blood and water off of Elas' fingertips, but there is indeed a heartbeat under there, thudding away like a cocaine-fueled rabbit on a treadmill. It brings that eerie glow to Eddie's cheeks again and he has to cover his mouth to cough while he gets back under control.
    "Uhhh, um, yeah, I'm sure there's. Plenty of fireproof people around," he says with a nervous laugh. "I wonder if Superman's seeing anyone? Hah! Ha ha. Hah. Heh."

Elas has posed:
"That is the spirit, Edward!" Elas exclaims happily. It's pretty plain by his tone and mannerisms that he hasn't the slightest idea who Superman is. "You must seek out this super man and tell him how you feel! My grandmother always says that you do not eat every fish you never attempt to catch."

"Also, I do not think our society is brittle. The nobility has been conditioned over time to serve the society before self. If anything we have grown stronger with the passing centuries. If you raise a child with too many choice then you remove the vital sense of duty that our people depend on." Elas is definitely on Team Nobility.

Kid Devil has posed:
    Kid Devil nods and-- almost in revenge for all the times Elas did it to him-- shrugs. He's also very good at it! "A sense of duty is great, it just doesn't always leave enough room for self-care. You can't serve anyone if you can't keep yourself centered, you know?" He smiles broadly, letting those fangs show once more.
    The enthusiastic suggestion about his very hypothetical romantic pursuit catches him entirely off-guard. Kid Devil just stares for several moments, slack-jawed, then rubbing at his forehead with some hint of phantom pain. Then he starts giggling. Laughing. Cackling. He topples over in the sand, *howling* with laughter so energetically he guffaws a fan of flame right up into the air.
    It takes him a while to recover from all that and push himself back upright. Even then it takes him another few beats to catch his breath. "Oh, wow, that was a good one. So good, dude... 'just date Superman, how hard could that be?'. Amazing. Hot damn!" He rubs at his eyes, though any laugh-tears would have instantly vaporized of course. "Whew..."

Elas has posed:
Well Elas hasn't the slightest, foggiest, most distant idea what about his words were so funny. But he does know that his new friend is laughing, so surely that must be good, right? He smiles wide and laughs along. When Eddy's laughing fit subsides Elas nods sagely, "I am glad I could help."

Kid Devil has posed:
    Eddie points, grinning. "Very helpful! That was excellent advice, Elas. I mean, I can't *use* it. The guy just radiates heteronormativity. If I had a meter that could measure that, it would break. He seems very nice, though." Finally after a few more breaths he's fully recovered from the experience, and he pulls his hair back to re-tie it.
    "Soooo, are you on this beach a lot? I could come by again. Maybe bring my cooking supplies, make you an actual *dish* instead of unseasoned flash-fried fish. And it'll definitely be better than the stuff at that diner in town."

Elas has posed:
"This is actually my first time here," Elas replies, peering around the locale. "But I think I should come here more because it is so pretty. And if my friend Edward comes here then all the more reason, yes?" Then he leans in and whispers quietly as though he doesn't want off hurt anyone's feelings, "The fish here are so dumb and easy to catch." He nods earnestly to back up his point.

Sitting back upright and drawing a breath, he continues, "The food at the cafeteria at Happy Harbor is not to my liking. There is so much that makes me sick in my stomach and in the bathroom. Have you tried /bread/? It is very bad."

Kid Devil has posed:
    Kid Devil does what he can to restrain his warmth when Elas moves closer, just in case, but it's still intense. "More reason, yeah," he affirms. Then he squints and tilts his head. "Are there-- smart fish somewhere else?" It's obviously a problem that had never occurred to him.
    He spends a good few moments pondering it, too, before shrugging it off for later. Are there fish labyrinths used somewhere to catch the smart fish? Does someone try to lure them into escape rooms under false pretenses? Later.
    His eyes widen slightly then. "Well, bread's fine, but if you aren't used to it, sure. I mean, maybe stay away from burgers and fries for a while. Try a shrimp salad. Or sashimi! Orrr... oh, this is the east coast, isn't it." He says it like someone who often forgets which end of the continent he's on.
    "Probably not many good poke spots in town. Hrm." He grins then, and makes a few mental notes, indicated by tapping on his head. "I've got it."

Elas has posed:
Elas nods quite seriously. "Oh yes, some fish are very clever and smart. Usually the ones who are solitary or travel in small groups. But fish that travel in big schools just rely on numbers to keep their species alive. All you need to be is fast to get them." He beams like some weird hybrid of a high school jock and an earnest, innocent alien. "And I am /very/ fast."

He blinks a bit blankly, though curiously when Eddie start discussing various foods to avoid or select. Probably 'shrimp' was the only word in there he understood. "We should eat some meals together and you can teach me the good top-worlder food!" He furrows his brow. "Can you go into the water? I could teach you good foods in the sea to eat."

Kid Devil has posed:
    Kid Devil is legitimately fascinated to learn this, and it's evident all over his expression. "I have *never* heard that. Amazing. You know, there were always those jokes-- up here-- about goldfish memories, and whether they can learn a rudimentary maze... But, uh, wow. Interesting. Fast, you say..."
    He intrigued by so much of this, lost in thought over it until he's snapped back to the moment. "Of course we should eat! If you want to obtain some ingredients from there, I can bring some from here, and show you how they go together. And none of it will make you sick, I promise. Well, unless you like it too much and you just stuff your face, I can't really help that."
    Eddie turns to look at the water as he gives a quick nod. "I was on the swim team at school, before. Before this. Couldn't really go into a pool then, or else it would vaporize the chlorinated water. Anyway, the ocean's fine. Hang on, let me see if I brought my..."
    Kid Devil pulls his metal box back around on its strap, opening a small storage compartment on the other end to dig around in there. "Aha!" Triumphant, he lifts up some sort of flexible, folded up full-face mask with two cylinders affixed at the front. "It's a rebreather. Good for, I don't know, a few hundred meters or so? Maybe thirty minutes before it needs to recharge at surface pressure."

Elas has posed:
Elas' eyes glitter with absolute delight as he peers at the device. There are handsome men on the surface world, obviously, but if you haven't been full-on beamed at by a handsome noble who utterly lacks pretense and guile then you are letting the best in life pass you by. "Edward, does that device allow you to breath under the water?" He leaps up with excitement approaching kid-at-Christmas levels. "We must go immediately!"

In his sheer excitement he grabs Eddy's arm to drag him along, but he gets burned a little. He retracts his hand quickly and shakes it back and forth and says the word "OW!" that is mixed with a giggle. "Come on, Edward!"

Elas runs full speed toward the water, and with the combined abandoned of a dolphin and a golden retriever he leaps into the water!

Kid Devil has posed:
    Eddie looks back at Elas, perplexed by an expression he does *not* get much of in his daily encounters. "Umm, yeah, I made it myself. There's a CO2 filter in this side that fractures the oxygen loose, and the other side electrolyzes additional oxygen from the water to augment the output, though it still needs a hit of air now and then to fully reload-- What? Now?"
    He winces sympathetically when he's grabbed without warning, but the other boy's enthusiasm is pretty contagious. The teen devil bounces to his feet and runs along in pursuit, padding across the dry sand and then making steaming, hissing footprints in the wet part of the beach. "Gimme a second, I need to put--" But he's too late. Eddie unfurls the mask and straps it into place in a rush, before leaping into the incoming breakers.
    The water around him erupts in a cloud of vapor, disrupting his buoyancy and making him sink with abnormal speed. It takes him some time to get his temperature settled to keep from boiling the ocean all around him, but soon he's paddling along toward the depths. Aside from being a pretty good swimmer, his tail swishes and twirls to augment his performance. Handy!

Elas has posed:
The young Atlantean swims quite strangely. He basically undulates his entire body with his arms at his sides. It's quite effective and it's clear that he could move at incredible speeds with this method. He turns to make sure Eddie is coming along. "Come, Edward!" he calls out. Oh. They can talk underwater. So there's that.

Like a playful otter, he suddenly lunges downward and grabs up a sea urchin. The spines don't seem to bother his hands in the slightest bit. With prize in hand he swims back to his new friend. "These are so good! I could eat them all day long."

Kid Devil has posed:
    Eddie swims in a fairly conventional manner, of course, other than the tail. He squints at what Elas is doing, tries it for a few moments, but decides it's not really going to work for him.
    "Wait, how can I hear you?" he replies too loudly. "We didn't sync up comms." Then, in a self-deprecating mutter that's still probably audible to Atlantean ears, "Aaaaaand why am I talking to you, it's not like you'll hear me... great, Eddie, just keep making an entire ass of yourself..." He hardly expects his voice to be properly carried through the water, much less for Elas to be specifically evolved to *hear* that way.
    He swims closer and comes up to float nearby and look over the urchins. He smiles through the mask and makes an exaggerated nod of approval, even giving a thumbs up. Then he makes some gestures, pointing at the urchin, then miming stirring something in a bowl. For added effect he ruffles his fingers through the water, letting them heat up to make columns of sizzling bubbles.

Elas has posed:
Elas giggles and gives Eddie's shoulder a playful shove. "I can hear you just fine, Edward!" He holds up the urchin. "You like these then? There are two more down there I can pick up. I usually rip them open and eat their meat, but you know how to do special food preparation like you were talking about with your spices?"

Hopefully Eddie can handle urchin spines because Elas excitedly hands it off and dives down to grab the other two that he saw. He return with them /and/ a soft shell crab. "These are SO good!" he says as he bites into the raw, still-living crab. Talking with his mouth full: "Tho goot!"

Kid Devil has posed:
    "Oh. OH." Eddie's cheeks illuminate again and, for a moment, he lets his heat ramp up enough to veil himself in a cloud of steam-bubbles. Just long enough for him to recover from the embarrassment of what he said. "Uhh, um, yeah, these are big in Japanese cuisine, though they don't always cook everything either. I'll have to look up something for them..."
    He puts his hand out casually. Obviously it will take a lot more than spines to get through his skin. He handles it gently anyway because he's nice like that, and he's focused on watching Elas move around in the water in that exotic way.
    "Oh, those look good. And that crab would cook up nice-- what are you-- oh." Those bright eyes flicker with a ghostly yellow glow. "Don't think I've ever seen anyone eat a crab quite like that, it's. Something new!" He's doing his very best not to look too alarmed or put off. He's very culturally sensitive!

Elas has posed:
Bundling the other two sea urchins under one arm like little spiky soccer balls, Elas grins at Eddie brightly. "They are amazing. Here try!" Then he holds the still-living-but-not-for-long softshell crab with a bite taken out of it out toward Eddie's mouth.

How gutsy is the devil-looking definitely-not-a-mutant metahuman?

Kid Devil has posed:
    Eddie opens his mouth a moment to protest. Then thinks better of it. He starts again, only to stop again. "I-- I just need to-- Sorry, it, it's--"
    Without further trying and failing to explain he takes the crab. He shows a faint wince as he lets loose a flash of intense heat to boil it in an instant. Only once he's satisfied the creature isn't needlessly suffering anymore, he pulls up the bottom edge of his mask to take a quick bite and a slow, thoughtful chew. "Needf phalt," he decides, before gulping. "Pepper. Paprika. Dill! Mmm." He smiles and hands the remaining crab over, now fully (and perfectly) cooked.

Elas has posed:
Elas wrinkles his nose as he looks down at the cooked crab. He takes a small bite from it, shakes his head, and drops it. Something down here will definitely eat it. No food ever goes to waste in the sea. He instantly forgives Eddie as evidenced by the big smile he gives his friend. He hands off the other two urchins and he points to a dark "cloud."

"Those are really dumb fish," he says. Sometimes called redfish, the school that Elas is gesturing toward is Atlantic ocean perch. He waggles his eyebrows playfully. "Watch this."

Elas turns and not unlike Eddie's crush, Superman, in air Elas rockets off at breathtaking speed toward the school of redfish. They swerve and jank and twist this way and that with remarkable, acrobatic precision. But the Atlantean is too fast for them. He is able to grab several of the fish. He swims back to Eddie. "Can you use these, too, Edward?" the young noble asks earnestly.

Kid Devil has posed:
    Eddie does look a bit nervous as to what Elas will think of him cooking the unusual 'gift'. He's relieved to be trusted with the urchins at least, holding them as gently as he can manage without cooking them already.
    Intrigued, he looks toward the school of fish as directed and watches the performance. "Oh, wow, that is fast," he mumbles.
    When Elas returns and offers up another species for their feast, Kid Devil nods quickly. "Those are... some kind of perch, I think? Pretty standard ingredient in New England. I'm sure I can come up with something. Nice thing about good fish is you don't *have* to do a lot to them, just accentuate the natural flavors. Though I suppose there's nothing quite as natural as just taking a bite out of it without cooking it at all."
    The devil boy smirks broadly at his teasing joke.

Elas has posed:
Elas has a great sense of humor and loves to give and receive teasing with his friends. But he legit doesn't understand what would be teasing about calling out that he likes to eat raw fish, so that one sails right over his head. He just grins, happy to have /someone/ to talk to. Especially someone as interesting as a metahuman devil with an underwater breathing device!

"The most delicious food are the mermen and mermaids. Do you know how to cook them? They swim REALLY fast and they are super smart, so it is hard to catch them. I could probably get us one right now. Some live near here."

Elas peers deadpan at Eddie like he's legit waiting for a response. But the metahuman might catch a humorous twinkle in the Atlantean's eyes.

Kid Devil has posed:
    Kid Devil goes wide-eyed. He hadn't heard Elas tell a joke yet, so he wasn't even sure what that would look like. He stares at the other boy, aghast. "Elas! What are you talking... about..."
    But it slowly dawns on him when Elas is actually waiting for an answer instead of darting off like some exceptionally feral shark.
    Eddie giggles then and sticks his tongue out, leaving a steamy swipe on the inside of the heat-proof mask. "Oh, you *ass*! You almost had me!"
    He giggles, then takes a deep breath and exhales it. A thick cloud of bubbles blows through his device as well as a layer of instant-steamed water when he briefly let his skin flare up to its normal, dangerous temperature.
    As Eddie looks around again he muses, "Well it's a good thing I don't have thalassaphobia. A guy could get really lost out here. I suppose I could always call on a delicious merman to help me out!"

Elas has posed:
Elas laughs and pushes Eddie's shoulder again. "You have a soft spot for the men, Edward," he says good-naturedly. Perhaps Atlantean culture doesn't have sexual orientation or gender based prejudices. "I know some merman. I can introduce you. But they can be very hostile toward top-worlders. They might end up eating /you/." Another joke? Let's hope so.

A dark form begins to appear in the distance, solidifying into view. It's a white shark attracted to the blood from the crab. "A shark!" Elas says excitedly. He stares silently for several moments in the fish's direction as though concentrating. "She is curious about us," he says finally, "and wants to know where the blood smell is coming from." He gestures toward Eddie. "Come. They are more docile when you swim at them." He begins to move in the direction of the approaching predator.

Kid Devil has posed:
    "I, uh," Eddie starts, but he's already doing that thing again, his cheeks flaring with the unusual glow. "I was kidding! Godddd," he breathes out, only briefly exasperated. He rubs at his neck anxiously though and runs a hand through his hair. It does nothing to tame the silvery strands wafting in the water. He chuckles and tries to be cool, something he's never been good at.
    "Hmm?" Kid Devil turns around to look, reflexively recoiling even though the thing is some distance off. And then he relaxes, putting off some fairly casual attitude about a very large shark.
    He's not alone though and he moves to keep up with Elas, giving the other boy a look of urgent concern. "Wait, are you, like, shark-proof or something? If it gets hostile, uhhh, try to get behind me and I should be able to handle it."

Elas has posed:
Elas looks back and grins as he swims toward the shark. "Okay, Edward, I will stay behind him if she attacks us," he quips warmly. But like he predicted, the shark behaves docilely as the pair swim toward her. They are not behaving like prey so the shark's brain -- programmed by thousands of years of data -- does not register them as such. Elas puts his hand on her flank and lets it drag along her skin as she swims past. The shark moves closer to investigate Eddie, perhaps attracted to the heat. She actually nudges him as she passes.

"Do not worry, Edward. She just wants to learn more about you."

Kid Devil has posed:
    Kid Devil allows Elas to take the lead here in this unfamiliar realm. He isn't at all concerned for himself. He only flinches a little, by reflex, when the animal veers his way. He lets it bump against him-- testing his suitability as food, perhaps-- but he restrains his heat even then to keep from hurting the shark unnecessarily.
    Eddie floats where he is easily enough, using his tail to keep him steady. "So is this what you guys do for fun down here?" he wonders. "Play with *sharks*? It would be like land people letting their children run into the woods to play games with bears..."

Elas has posed:
Elas picks up some speed and moves in alongside the shark as she swims in patterns. He puts both hands on her midsection and rests the side of his face against her head. "There is no danger here. I can read her every thought. She is a solitary creature who prefers to live and hunt alone. But today she is in the mood for company." With each change in direction the shark makes, Elas makes the same change, keeping his hands and head against her body as he moves through the ocean. It's almost like they are dancing together.

Finally, though, he releases her and perhaps she has had enough company for one day because she dives deeper to investigate where that intoxicating blood smell came from. Elas rejoins Eddie. "It was such a joy to share my world with my new friend Edward!" Elas exclaims, smiling. "Thank you for joining me here."

Kid Devil has posed:
    Eddie watches it all with the utmost intrigue, his luminous eyes fixed and tracking every motion. It's like nothing he's ever seen-- which is any scientist's favorite thing to watch. He remains ready, even after Elas' reassurance, to act. Just in case. Because that's what heroes do, isn't it?
    When he watches the shark wander off he is as relieved as he is disappointed to have the show concluded, but he turns to give Elas a broad, fangy grin. "This was wonderful," he says with quiet sincerity. "Thank you for sharing it. I hope we can do this again some time! I can work on my rebreather to go deeper, last longer..."
    Fortunately he does not even seem to be aware of the potential puns in what he just said. Instead he notes, "I have reduced my temperature as low as I can get it. If you wish to hug, it is safe to do so now. But no pressure! Get it? Pressure? It's an ocean depth joke." He chortles, of course.

Elas has posed:
Elas smiles warmly at his new friend. He reaches up with his hands and cups both sides of Eddie's jawline. Then he slowly leans in and kisses first one of the metahuman's cheeks then the other. Once more he peers at Eddie with that smile of his. "Thank you for being my first top-worlder friend, Edward. Next time I want to explore /your/ world and experience the things of beauty that exist there. Would that be okay?" He raises his eyebrows inquisitively. He certainly has the grace of one raised and trained in a royal court.

Kid Devil has posed:
    Kid Devil was expecting a hug. He had prepared for that, even. Instead he's left speechless, his cheeks radiant with that strange light. Slowly he starts blinking back to the present and swallowing a few times to recover from the surprise. "H-how very... European!" he sputters. "Th-thanks! I never met any sea people, either. That I know of." He even thinks about it carefully before shaking his head.
    "Oh, sure! I can show you how to use a muon detector, or a magnetoscope. Ooh! Or I can show you how to make a miniature aurora, that's always fun. Orrr..."
    He gasps at a sudden idea. "Have you seen *snow* yet? We never got it in LA when I was growing up and the first time I saw it, *wow*." Even his tail is wagging in excitement.

Elas has posed:
Elas' eyes light up and his expression is bright, confused, and pleased. He replies, "I do not know /any/ of these words but I want to learn all of them. /This/ is why I am here, to learn about all of the wonderful top-worlder people! We are going to be such great friend, Edward!"

He grabs Eddie's hand and starts to swim vigorously back to shore. Once arrived, he strides out of the sea, water cascading down his toned swimmer's build. There is a tiny sucking sound as he stops using his gills and they pull shut, now invisible against the sides of his neck. He takes in a deep breath, switching to his lungs for respiration. He grins over at Eddie. "This always makes me dizzy for a moment, when I first switch from gills to lungs."

Kid Devil has posed:
    "I sure hope so," Eddie agrees. "You seem nice. The crabs might disagree, but they're just being... *crabby*." This time he cackles, that was such a good joke.
    When he's grabbed he takes great care to keep his heat restrained all the way back to shore. Above the surface he unstraps his breathing back and stuffs it away in the scanner box (it's kind of a purse, don't call it a purse). Dialed down to nearly-normal human temperatures he remains drenched, with the drops sparkling on red skin, but he doesn't seem to mind. Instead he's interested in the gills. "Fascinating!" he says quite sincerely. "I had a lot of things to get used to. Sometimes I get a bit careless with the portals and I come out upside-down. But you'll get there, it just takes practice!"

Elas has posed:
With Eddie's body temperature near "normal" and with water streaming down him, Elas definitely looks, perhaps indicating that he finds the sight agreeable. His kind are not nearly so restrained as most human societies. "You have a very pleasing form, Edward. You have a kind heart, and I know you will find a top-worlder who will want to be close with you. Be patient. What is the English colloquialism? Never say never?"

He doesn't appear to have any stuff. There is no beach towel, no clothing, no basket or bag. He probably just literally walked here from campus wearing shorts so he could be near the sea. So he just kind of stands there. "One thing I like about pants is being able to do this!" He puts his hands in his pockets. "I have never had pockets in this spot before. And I see so many top-worlders standing with their hands in their pockets. It is very comfortable." He seems to find joy in the simple things.

Kid Devil has posed:
    Kid Devil stands looking at Elas, a bit confused and blinking. Behind him the tail sways slowly from side to side, the rings flashing in the afternoon light. When he blushes again-- for that is indeed what it is-- it's less intense and overwhelming. He just doesn't know how to take a compliment. "That's very nice of you to say," he replies quietly. "Who knows, maybe someone will invent some kind of air-permeable fireproof substrate to... oh..." For a moment he's got that distracted look again.
    But he reels his tinkering mind in before it gets out of control, and he turns that radiant smile on Elas. "Oh! The pocket is definitely a top-five invention. I will make sure to include *plenty* of pockets in those shorts."

Elas has posed:
Elas lifts his eyebrows. "How do I speak to you again? I should probably purchase a telephone. Literally everyone on campus seems to have their faces in their telephones all the time. And teachers are constantly confiscating them. But I think I could use one to contact friends, is that correct?"

Kid Devil has posed:
    Eddie is briefly panicked to have entirely forgotten that. He gets... distracted sometimes. Clearly.
    "Umm, yes, a phone would be great, you could text me. Or look me up, I'm
    @TheDevilsWorkshop on all the socials. Or you can call S.T.A.R. Labs and ask for me, they can usually patch me in wherever." He rattles off all these options, counting them on his fingers until he's done, then smirking at the impracticality of it: sharing such land-walker options for someone who doesn't even have a phone.
    "Orrrr, I could come by here, same time tomorrow? Later tonight I can actually, uh, I can modify a phone for you that will be waterproof to at least a kilometer or so? Maybe two, if I layer on some extra pressure dissipation... It'll be pretty thick, compared to the ones you've seen. Unless..."
    True to form he's already getting carried away with all those ideas.

Elas has posed:
Elas listens to the whirlwind of Eddie's response. He doesn't know all the words but he knows the sentiment. And it brings that easy smile to his face.

"You are a problem-solver, Edward," he intones. "Our engineers in Poseidonis are much like you. They are the finest inventors in the Kingdom and I always admired them because for them every obstacle is simply a new reason to innovate. You are like that. You will do great things in this world."

He moves closer again and once more reaches up to tug at one of Eddie's horns. He is becoming accustomed to being close to Eddie, and it would seem that Atlanteans are physical with their friends in ways that top-worlders might find intrusive. "I would be honored if you build a telephone for me." He wrinkles his nose playfully. "I promise not to get it confiscated by a teacher."

Kid Devil has posed:
    Eddie chuckles at that. "I might want to meet them some time! Building stuff underwater... the engineering for that must be. I don't know. Wow. But thank you, that's very kind to... to say..."
    It seems Kid Devil is getting used to keeping himself (relatively) cooled off around Elas; he still hasn't let his temperature rise back to its standard level, so he doesn't panic or recoil when Elas reaches for him again. He just tilts his eyes up to watch the movement curiously. "Uhh, well, yes, I don't want to have to make a *bunch* of them. I wonder if I could make it so it would return to your pocket even if they did. Now there's an idea... Carbon nanofluid cellphone? Would that even *work*? Huh."
    He has to force himself to stop thinking about it for now. Having someone's fingers on his black little horn is helpful to that, even if it is distracting in other ways. "Tomorrow, then? I trust you can at least find a clock somewhere in town to remind you of the time," he teases.

Elas has posed:
Elas nods earnestly. "Tomorrow then, Edward," he agrees. "I am told I have to keep myself occupied for the summer until classes resume in the autumn. It is nice to have a friend to spend some time with. I look forward to learning about your world."

He grins then goes jogging off in the direction of campus. If Eddie should happen to watch for any amount of time he would see Elas speed up to some impressive speeds for a running, barefoot teenager. Not, like, Flash fast or anything like. But definitely moped fast.

Kid Devil has posed:
    "Stay busy, that's what I always say. Maybe I should take more vacations, though..." Eddie mumbles.
    It's with some relief Kid Devil is able to relinquish the control over his temperature as soon as Elas is at a safe distance. The water steams off of him in a burst of air. He brushes away the remaining salt and shakes more of it loose from his hair. He watches curiously when the other boy picks up so much speed-- on land, no less!
    Should Elas look back he might catch the air opening next to Eddie in a fiery, roiling torus, before the young devil dives through.