15737/Beach Blanket Bunny Bingo

Beach Blanket Bunny Bingo
Date of Scene:	28 August 2023
Location:	Riddle's Bay Island, Atlantic Ocean
Synopsis:	Mark and Bunny go on a surfing date on a supposedly deserted island. They discuss relationship roles and rules, what their status is... and stumble upon something weird and possibly spooky.
Cast of Characters:	Mark Grayson, Bunny Macleod

---

Mark Grayson has posed:
It had been a couple of days since Mark and Bunny had made plans to visit a beach. Mark used that time to scout out a place for them to go that wouldn't be terribly busy, allow them to hang out - and best of all, give them time to enjoy the ocean without having to worry about little kids with ice cream cones, large people that think that they should have the entire beach to themselves, and tweeker teens that are tik-toking and not caring about anyone around them.

This morning, Bunny's phone pings with a message from Mark. It's from his Instagram. A picture of a secluded beach, a pair of surf boards and a pink boogie board, a blanket, umbrella and large cooler. The next picture is of him changing into his swimsuit. ( http://0.soompi.io/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/13220744/nam-joo-hyuk-.png )

Bunny's phone pings a second time - this time a message to her direct. <<Got your swimsuit yet? I vote ::bikini-emoji::.>> Already teasing her out of the gate.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny would reply a couple minutes after the second ping. <<Sorry, skated into a wall. Was somewhat distracted :sweat_smile: :red_exclaimation mark: Have a swimsuit! And as promised, snacks! Where we meeting up?>>

TOf course, Bunny had in fact skated into a wall and bumped her nose pretty hard, and was rubbing her pink face going 'no way that wasn't intentional' to herself as she rushes to grab the brand-new-still-has-tags swimsuit.

Mark Grayson has posed:
<<I can pick you up from Gary's Dawgs if ur not comfy with giving out where you are.>> comes Mark's response a moment later. Of course, he's grinning. First blood is his!

He'd probably feel bad if he had known he'd drawn real blood.

As he flies towards the city to pick her up, he adds in another text, <<Invicible Air Flight ...>> Nope. He stops himself.

<<I'll be there soon!>.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    <Be there in ten-ish!> comes Bunny's reply.

    <Invincible Air Flight 24601, New York to BEACH, should be boarding momentarily. Please remember to stow any and all luggage someplace where it can't be dropped at Mach2 and hit some poor guy on the head.>

    And she's made it to the roof of the building near Gary's Dawgs, breathless because man without superspeed or flight it takes some doing, with a mesh bag containing snacks, a soft cooler with drinks, what looks like a sand castle build kit, and she's wearing a wide-brimmed beach hat, heart-shaped sunglasses (and her goggles), a baggy T-shirt tied at her waist showing shimmering pink covering her mid section, and a pair of shorts, leading down to... flipflops. Bunny is sans skates. She feels so *short*.

Mark Grayson has posed:
They both BEHAVED! Nice.

Soon, a speck shows up and lowers. Mark's at least made sure to cover the swimsuit he was wearing with a waist length t-shirt. It really isn't that much different than his costume, right?

"Hi!" he greets as he gets close. But really, she looks adorbs, so he takes out his phone and *click*.

Then and only then does he settle on the roof to hold out his arms to her. "Flight 24601, which is totally not going to prison but is going to the BEACH, now boarding. First class passengers, please pre-board now." He grins. "May I see your boarding pass, miss?"

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Agh no why pictures my one weakness!" Bunny complains, and she gives a laugh. She does have a couple of bruises, but that's something easily explained by the fact that she almost lives in roller skates -- and as Mark knows, her life fighting crime and occasionally doing Young Avenger stuff.

    "Oh thank goodness you got the joke. It was the first strand of numbers that came to mind." she smiles brightly, and then looks puzzled.

    "Do I count as first class if I'm the only passenger?" she questionsm lips forming a moue before her eyebrows rise up, and she creates a little platform with her power so she can step up and attempt to deliver a peck of a kiss to Mark's cheek!

Mark Grayson has posed:
The bruises are noted, but she's not gutted and bleeding, so he's not terribly concerned. "Gabby said I better learn to tend to your bruises." he points out, a smirk on his lips before he ohs.

"Well... I was trying to compliment you with a bad airline joke." he admits, before she leans in and kisses his cheek. Mark's cheeks flare dark red and he looks aside to her and is positively beaming. "Alright, lets make sure you're in a seatbelt and snug."

His arms may seem wiry at times, but they fit easily around her and tighten, pulling the pair of them close together. His eyes meet hers and he nudges her pink nose. "Sorry for making you crash." he comments, though the tone is #SorryNotSorry. "Hold onto your hat!" And hopefully she did...

As he launches into the sky a couple of thousand feet and turns to launch, cutting out over the city, which is quickly left behind for the blue expanse of the ocean and as they go... he gets an idea, taking her higher so that he can go through a large puffy white cloud with her. Nature's cotton candy.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    The smile turns briefly into a petulant pout. "Gabby's got a big mouth for someone so short." Pot. Kettle. "But as you can see she also hangs out with demons, so she's not... y'know. Baseline." Bunny uses the word from the Mutant community to describe an unpowered person, and then she secures her hat, checks her flip-flops, and they're off!

    The air is thin and cooler, and Bunny gives a soft 'eee!' as they fly through a puffy cloud!

    "Aaah it feels like cold tingles!" she protests, giving a laugh as she reaches out with her free hand, causing some of the cloud to trail behind her as she looks out over the ocean and all that endless blue as she hitches her breath, looking at the sun glittering off the waters!

Mark Grayson has posed:
The lonely cloud is pushed through as the pair continue on, passing over a ship now and again, a pod of whales making their migratory track -- they could probably spend all day flying around looking at all the neat stuff!

But there is a mission here, and soon, the small island comes into view. "We need to stay near the beach." he explains. "Back in the Second World War, the US Navy used the island as a naval battery and there's an old base somewhere in that jungly area." They do a fly over of the island. It's maybe a half-mile at most, with a large tropical growth area over most of the eastern side of the island - one can make out the concrete pylons of what was docks or a submarine launch. The east side of the island is a white sand beach that goes around 100 yards ashore before the overgrowth takes over as well, with plenty of room for the picnic area that Mark set up.

They descend upon the picnic area that Mark had set up and his feet settle into the white sand before he moves to settle Bunny down and steps back to gesture as a wave crashes upon the beach.

"Welcome to Riddle's Bay, I think that's what the map had it marked as."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    The roar of the surf, the expanse of the sand, the history of the place, and this is Bunny's first, honest-to-goodness beach trip. She takes a deep breath of the ocean air and the tang of sand -- and sneezes, high pitched, her hat going akimbo and her glasses almost falling off her forehead.

    "Riddle's Bay --" she begins, and she puts her hands on her hips. ".... nope nothing witty is coming to me right at this minute." Bunny states as she sets the cooler and mesh bag down.

Mark Grayson has posed:
Mark laughs, managing a 'Bless you' as Bunny shows that she may actually be //ALLERGIC TO THE OCEAN// and that would be a tragedy. "Oh man, I love going out to surf. But trying to teach someone to surf on a beach in the Atlantic is like trying to tell someone about baseball at a football game. It just doesn't fit right sometimes. But I think today we're good..."

With that in mind, he moves to slip off his shirt again, folding it neatly to set on the blanket. "I've got sunscreen if you didn't bring any." he offers as he slips on a pair of surf shoes to get the board ready.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Mark I am just this shy if *paper white*." Bunny comments, and she digs into her mesh bag and pulls out a waterproof SPF 70. "Also applied it after I walked into a wall. So it's good to gooooo...." she looks out over the ocean, and she bites her lower lips, at the corner.

    "New England is supposed to be good for surfing, but only in the winter time." she comments, "I looked it up after you said you surfed." she smiles, and she removes her hat and her goggles, setting them to the side as she un-knots the oversized shirt (I HEART NEW YORK, incidentally) and pulls it up over her shoulders -- which are bruised and are sporting a couple shallow cuts, and a couple older scars. She's wearing a two-piece, but it's a tankini, in bright, sparkly Barbie pink, the modest top showing the swell of her breasts and the narrow of her stomach.

    She looks at the surf shoes, and then looks at her flipflops. "I feel like I forgot something." she gives a laugh.

    "So, everything of surf culture I know comes from movies with really shaggy hairdo guys that my older sister watched."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"I'm half-Asian, half-alien. I don't know if being a Viltrumite overrides getting burned just by looking at the sun." Mark responds teasingly. And while he does take a look at her bruises... he's not sneaky enough to not get caught checking her out, his cheeks betraying him in the matter.

"We'll try to get you standing on the board, but lets start with something easier, just paddling out and then riding the wave back in." he explains as he takes up his board and waits for her. "I got you a standard and a smaller boogie board. You can't really surf on the smaller one, but if you want to just ride waves, it's perfect!"

"I took up surfing when I was rebelling against my dad. He wanted me to focus on nothing else but being a hero, and I wanted to have a life. It's why I didn't date that much..." he admits as he turns to face the water. "...anyway!" He starts towards the water, the board thrown easily over his shoulder. "The surf looks great today. If it hadn't, this would have been a terrible idea..."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    She catches him, and she looks at her shoulder a moment with a bruise on it, and blushes bright pink.

    "Uh... fighting Triads last night." she explains, and breathes out, reaching up to her pink hair, braided and put into a pair of low space-buns.

    "I get it. My dad pulled me out of school to watch my younger siblings and help run deliveries. Macloud Messenger Services was kinda my life for four years." she explains. "Dads are a trip." she comments breezily, and she reaches for the other board, attempts to throw it over her shoulder, doesn't adjust for the shift in her gravity, and almost stumbles into the sand.

    "All right, here's to probably not drowning today!"

Mark Grayson has posed:
Glancing over when Bunny explains what happened to her shoulder, Mark clears his throat. "Wasn't your shoulder I was looking at." he comments, and quickly turns to rush towards the water, laughing as he feels the coolness of it hit his lower legs and he starts to wade deeper, turning only to see her stumble.

"You can swim! And if you get in trouble, I can fly you out... I mean..." he considers, and adds, "...naw, I don't think any sharks will bother us this time."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
R    "Gasp. Mark, were you looking at... /my butt/? I mean it's pretty great, them thigh muscles and curvy calves from skating DEFINITELY help." Bunny calls back, trying to see if she can get Mark to change colors as she follows him into the water, feeling it lick at her legs as she examines the color of the water for a brief moment, wading deeper into the water with one arm over her borrowed board before she halts.

    "THIS TIME?!" Bunny squeaks, and then she looks at Mark with wide eyes! "What KIND of sharks?!"

Mark Grayson has posed:
"Bunny!" Mark exclaims, turning a little darker shade of red. "I haven't even seen your butt!" he points out. If anything, she's had a better view of his deriere!

But she wants him to tell so... "You're... b-bustier than I expected." two can play this game.

"Oh, it was bipedal and kept saying it's name over and over again. Got hauled off to prison, I think."

Setting the board into the water, he starts to paddle out, strong strides that will quickly seperate the pair if Bunny doesn't stop him.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    ". . . yeah I wear sports bras most of the time. Compression is GREAT for not slingin' them around. Not so great when you don't wanna look like you're twelve!" Bunny counters, and she hops up onto her board, and she tries to paddle herself in the same manner Mark is, trying (and failing) to keep up with him -- so a little over her head she pauses, pushing up on her board and straddling as she catches her breath a little, watching Mark to see how it's done!

Mark Grayson has posed:
"I thought you were... yeah, I thought asking you out would get me in trouble when I first met you." Mark admits, apparently able to hear Bunny still as he paddles out and makes it a good distance. "I was glad to find out you were closer to my age!"

And with that, he keeps paddling out until he notices a larger wave forming. He moves, angling the board towards the wave and starts to swim towards it, before it lifts him and he turns, him and the board moving perpendicular with the wave before he climbs upon it, getting on his feet and starts to ride the wave, pushing himself along it before he is almost back to Bunny before he falls off, wiping out, disappearing beneath the wave as it swells beneath the girl.

Mark's head pops up a few moments later and he's grinning. "Oh man, not the way to impress you!" he admits with a laugh.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny watches with fascination as Mark picks his wave, swimming for it -- and you can bet that she is assuredly checking out his butt in those shorts, her head tilting a little bit like she's appreciating fine art. She's eighteen, butts are important.

    And as Mark wipes out, she gives a wince, paddling a little closer as she rises with the swell of the wave -- and as he pops back up, she laughs.

    "You're fine, I'm still impressed! It looks easier than I bet it is." she replies, leaning back on the board a bit, her legs still dangling in the water.

    "Luckily, I'm just *short*. Even my little sister's taller than me now! It's OK though, works out to my advantage --" Bunny wrinkles her nose. "Although man have I attracted *really* weird guys.

Mark Grayson has posed:
Leaning on the board as he kicks his feet to rejoin Bunny, Mark chuckles warmly. "Once you try it a few times, you'll get the hang of it and will probably be surfing well yourself!" he offers in encouragement. "I should have had you practice standing on the board in the sand instead of just throwing you out like this." He's not the greatest teacher."

With their boards next to each other and Mark considers her, his hand reaching behind his back, rubbing his head and coughs. "I guess I could count as really weird..." he admits. "...I mean, I am an alien." There's a shrug of his shoulders as he smiles up at her.

"So, you ready to give it a try?"

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Half alien. Not weird, just... different. Like, you weren't waiting outside an elevator to ask me to a Taylor Swift concert while I was at work --" she rolls her eyes a moment "Or ask what grade I was in at the middle school. Like, those weird guys." she smiles, looking to Mark. "If you're weird? It's the good weird. Like me." she smiles, and then she takes a steadying breath.

    "Okay, okay let's try this. Can't be that hard, right? I've been on a skateboard."

    Cut to a brief memory: Being pushed down a hill, rolling over the back of someone's Lincoln Towncar, bouncing her face off a mailbox and chipping two baby teeth.

    "... and water's way easier to hit than a mailbox." she adds quietly, then leans forward on her board, and begins to swim out a bit further.

    "How do I know what wave to pick?"

Mark Grayson has posed:
"Yeah, that's not weird, that's creepy." Mark responds, face scrunching up in mild disgust at the idea. He shakes it off and as she turns lean, he moves to give the side of her leg an encouraging pat.

"You want to look for a wave that's looking further along than most. It takes a little time to build up power. Look for one that is swelling, but hasn't started to froth at the top yet." He starts to paddle as well, a little more slowly this time.

He creates distance between the two, to make sure they don't end up catching each other. But he's not looking to stand on the board, instead...

He watches the water and then he points. "That one!" he says, pointing to one wave that is looking to rise above the rest, showing a lot of promise as a surfable wave. "You're going to want to turn with the wave towards the shore and quickly try to stand and find your center of balance!"

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    The young lady with the pink spacebuns turns her head to the wave that Mark's pointing out, and she steels herself. Murderous robots? Remote control gum-girls? Triads? Not a problem.

    Trying to make sure she doesn't embarrass herself too much on a date? That's what's got her weak in the knees. She gives a huff of breath out as she paddles a bit to try and build up energy, turning into the wave -- and to her credit she does manage to get to almost a full stand before she wobbles, and topples over into the surf, disappearing below the water with a flail of her arms!

Mark Grayson has posed:
She's so close, so close... oh no!

Wipeout! ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-kAnNgqN9o )

Paddling over into the direction where Bunny went down, Mark waits, watching to see when Bunny pops back up, to make sure she's okay.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    There's a couple of heart beats when Bunny doesn't resurface -- but eventually she does, gasping for breath, and flailing a little bit as she treads water and looks for her board.

    "I think that was a good start!" she sputters out, paddling over to her board and grabbing a hold of it as she wheezes, thoroughly soaked.

    "I think I swallowed some sea water. It is so... so salty."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"You alright?" comes the concerned response from Mark, who was about to unstrap from his board to dive beneath the waves to go looking for Bunny. There is a sigh of relief that she probably didn't hear before he nods enthusiastically. "It was!"

"Want to try it again?" he offers in encouragement as he settles back down, watching the horizon to see if another wave may be coming along.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    She didn't hear the sigh of relief, but she does give a smile as she dangles from the board looking very waterlogged.

    "Maye... in a minute... after my lungs are convinced I wasn't about to do an impression of a sinking ship!" Bunny gives a smile, and attempts to bring herself up onto the board, manages to almost hit herself with it, and then finally straddles it, with the wet suit clinging to her as she looks back out to the ocean.

    "It definitely LOOKS easy, but it's way harder to keep balance on the board than it is my skates."

Mark Grayson has posed:
Give her time to breathe, Mark. That is a reminder to himself as he settles for sitting on the board and staying next to, but facing her. "You'll get the hang of it soon enough."

"I think Gabby would swim out here and hurt me if I let you drown." he comments with a laugh, reaching over to give her hand a squeeze. "We can give this a few more tries, when you're ready, then head in and grab some lunch?"

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny gives a small laugh, and rolls her hand in the air.

    "Honestly sometimes she's super protective of her friends, and it wouldn't surprise me if she's hiding behind the trees watching --"

    And as if to empathize she calls out "WHICH SHE BETTER NOT BE BECAUSE I'M STILL MAD ABOUT THAT ENVELOPE, GABATHA MCSTABBATHON!" she lets her voice ring out. She can certainly project her voice when she wants to. A couple of birds take wing.

Mark Grayson has posed:
Mark actally reaches up and covers his ears with a laugh as Bunny calls out. "I think we're alone, to be honest?" he suggest, a playful waggle of his brow, but he doesn't follow through.

"Apparently I have to fight her at some point, because she asked me if I knew what Scott Pilgrim was." he notes with mild amusement. "I assume that you did not have as many exes as Ramona Flowers."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "You tell her she's not allowed to fight you. One, there's a good chance you would actually get stabbed, and that just sets bad precedence." Bunny begins, and she hauls herself totally out the water, and onto the boad as they float up and down with the waves.

    "Two, I only really have the two. And Billy's gone off elsewhere for a while to re-center himself, and also hated fighting people unless they were anti-mutant Nazi types." she recounts.

    "... I'm actually kinda surprised she said she'd fight you, since it was kind of her idea."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"More like... she hinted at it heavily with the whole Scott Pilgrim thing. And Bunny?" Mark chuckles softly, "I'm not called Invicible because I'm stabbable!" a mild protest from him at that as he shakes his head.

"I'd rather be her friend, to be honest. I don't buy into the jealous ex experience and if I want to ask you to be my girlfriend, I'd rather have her being cool with it than against it." he admits with a shrug of his shoulders and lays back on his board to look up at the sky.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny sits on her board a moment.

    "I don't want you two to fight at all! And it's not about being Invincible, it's about the general purpose that she brought up that the triad wasn't working, and Tommy agreed, and like always I go along because I don't stick up for myself, and the minute I *do* stick up for myself after she offered to fight you she's like 'oh that's cute here's an envelope with two grand in it'" and she huffs out, and may have gone on further dramatics when she lays back on her board, but she loses her balance and falls into the water again, to surface with an 'augh!' sound.

    "I get it, I get it, temper." she pauses, and then laughs, and manages to hop up to her board, and lays belly-down with her head in her arms, looking over to Mark as he looks to the sky.

    "... it doesn't matter to me if she's cool with it or not. She doesn't get a vote. If you asked me to be your girlfriend, it's kinda my choice."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"I know it is! Didn't say she was your gatekeeper..." Mark laughs, though he does move to sit up and look at her again after she splashes into the water. "This is only technically our second date. Is that too soon to say we're dating, like changing the relationship tab and all that?" he asks curiously.

"I mean, you could be a /terrible/ kisser." comes the teasing comment as he splashes a small wave of water at her.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "I *am* a terrible kisser as far as I know. I've only ever kissed cheeks and my parents." Bunny replies with a laugh, and she uses her foot to kick a little water back towards Mark.

    "I mean, do we get to do that, as people with powers who sometimes have to abscond to Greenland or show up to punch gang members in back alleys or is the only option we have 'It's Complicated'?" he questions, a note of seriounsess in her voice, though she doesn't look serious about it at all.

    "I guess that depends on if we intend to have more dates? Which, by the way? I'm down with that intention."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"I think we get to do that. It's okay, I only had one girl I kissed. So, it's a small sample size. I mean, we could try, totally to see if we are terrible." That gives him a brief blush, before he considers the water.

"I asked some of the other Titans last night about a good friend of mine that seems to have abandoned heroing to be I guess normal. But someone said, why can't we be normal?" Mark considers that question, and settles a hand on Bunny's shoulder. "I'm good with more dates. I'm also good with asking you if you want to be my girlfriend. I'm not looking for any other options, and not really interested in like... an open relationship?"

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Yeah, I know I've only ever kissed one girl before too." Bunny replies back with a smug little smile at Mark's blushing, and she she feels his hand on her shoulder. Her other hand comes up, brushing her fingers over his.

    "... normal people kinda don't have to interrupt their lives to fight evildoers, stop supervolcanos, or have to ask the Titans for advice." Bunny reflects.

    "I'm down with being monogamous." she gives a smile to Mark.

    "You don't have to be a lot to impress me. THere's already been a Mark-ed improvement in my romantic life just from being around you." she jokes.

Mark Grayson has posed:
His fingers mix with hers and squeeze in response. "Okay, but at the same time, we don't have to worry about more pedestrian things?" Mark responds as he tugs her surfboard back to where they're joined together again.

"Best part about this is that we are open with each other and communication is cool for a relationship. You have your friends and I have mine and sometimes the two will meet and figure it out."

"But it has been quick like a Bunny how you hopped into my life." Mark can do that too. "...but in a good way."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "... I mean yeah there's always normal stuff, but there's an extra dimension to relationships, like there's not just 'who's paying for the take out tonight?' but also 'oh hey Bunny Tony Stark's calling and wants you to play for a function' or 'Mark there's like, this giant asteroid that needs to be dealt with?" she questions, and gives a small smile. They rise and fall with the waves.

    "Communication is number one. I had to come a long way with that from coming out under my dad's thumb. So... I'll ask for your patience too, a little bit."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"I'm good with patience. There's no rush in all this. I mean, you have your dad's issues and I have my own dad issues, but yours are worse. Mine is more... disapproving because I'm not like... saving the world from said giant asteroid every week." His shoulders do slump at that.

"I think it's standard fare. We have our own lives. We're not married. Nor attached at the hip. The world's not going to end if you go somewhere for a few days. It's good to understand that all now, instead of over texts at 3 AM." His thumb brushes the side of her finger. "I'm going too fast, I can slow down."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Mark, how could it ever work out? I'm a Young Avenger who occasionally knocks ninjas and triads out and attends pro-mutant life rallies, and you're a Viltrumite hybrid which I'm sure contributes to your booty superiority." Bunny replies. It is *CLEAR* that she's joking. She gives a bright grin to Mark, and she gives a laugh. "LEt's not rush to the M word. I'm good with the Girlfriend title if you're good with being my boyfriend." she smiles slightly.

    "At least it's both 'dad disapproval'." she reflects, chewing on the thought for a moment. "And the same thing to you. I'm not gonna up and go all Bella Swan because you're away on 'work'. Just lemmie know if you're going and if there's an end-time."

Mark Grayson has posed:
Mark makes a show of sitting up for a moment since Bunny is on her belly. "Yeah, that ass is pretty nice." he comments to her, feeling successfully defused as he smirks. "Have you seen my dad? Dude is stacked. He wants me to get built like that." A shake of his head.

"Boyfriend and girlfriend is more than enough at the moment, I agree." He smirks slightly. "The only time I won't send you a text may be if I'm like... in deep space or something." Oh right, he can go in space.

"I'm selling the rights to Broadway. The spunky streetwise girl vigilante and the star-crossed half-alien superman and their relationship story. We'll make dozens of dollars!"

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Negative dozens of dollars after we have to pay the brokers their cut!" Bunny sounds scandalized "I can write the score. They'll have such fantastic numbers as 'Our Butts are the Best in the Solar System, Until We Get Sued' and 'Ohmigod is that a pincer -- oh no it's a pimple open-parenthesies teenage superherodom sucks close parenthesis." Bunny gives a grin.

    "I get it. Space doesn't have five-g."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    And, thoughtfully "Well, I figured maybe you're not that stacked because of the whole hybrid thing? Kinda like how if you cross a lion and a tiger they *don't* have a gene that stops from from growing so they just get bigger and bigger, but the human gene's cut you off at 'Old Ambercrombie & Fitch Bag'?"

Mark Grayson has posed:
"Oh man, best score ever!" Mark agrees with this, and he starts to say more... but...

"....did you just call me an Old Bag?"

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "They were covered with hot guys. My older sister kept one 'for holding things'." Bunny states, and pushes herself up off her board.

    "Hard to date when you live with seven siblings and your widowed dad I guess." she explains in as gentle a euphemism as she can.

Mark Grayson has posed:
"Well!" Mark says, "Fine, I won't throw you into the ocean..." he says teasingly and then he gets a smile, all warm and innocence.

"When we reach the point where you take me to meet a your family? I will make sure to wear something nice and form-fitting." he offers to her, "Instead of my usual slightly loose clothing that hides all of that."

He looks around for a moment. And then again. "Uh, Bunny..." he releases her hand to turn on the board. "...where's the Island?"

They /have/ been talking and floating for a while.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "I... don't know if that's a good idea. My dad wanted me to take The Cure and come home so I could run deliveries again. And I kinda sorta told him to go to Hell." Bunny replies quietly, and looks to Mark. "You might not get to meet my family. They haven't been in my life for a bit now." she replies quietly, and then she pauses at the suddenly missing island question. She sits up on her board. She looks around and scans for the island.

    "... uh. Good question..."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"Good, then you can meet my family. Mom will probably love you." Mark replies as he continues to look around. "Well, more your siblings, I kinda want to punch your dad." He rememebered, he just misspoke on the dad part.

"Well. Wanna go up and look?" he asks. "I don't really feel comfortable leaving you down here alone, a shark or something may show up." He smirks as he unstraps from the board and slips into the water to wait for her to make the decision.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Everyone wants to punch my dad. That's like a Universal Constant at this point." Bunny gives a mock-defeated sigh, and then worriedly looks to Mark before she too slips into the water.

    "Yeah... yeah I don't wanna stay down here alone. Gabby might be friends with the king of the sea but I'm not!" she replies, anxiousness rising up as she unleashes herself from the board as well.

    "If the island sank I'm going to laugh."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"Oh gosh, what if it did?!" Mark asks as he slips his arms around Bunny to hold onto her... while trying not to realize there's more skin to skin contact than priorly.

Leaving the surfboards behind, Mark rises into the air, bringing Bunny with him as he works on steadily getting height so that they can look around for the island. He laughs lightly. "I've only been in the public for a little over a year, I'm working on making friends!" he promises her.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny is also blushing for the same reason, and trying not to think about all the contact or the fact that all that's between her in Mark in some cases is some thin spandex. She takes a steadying breath as they rise up out of the water, and she cranes her neck around, looking for the island as well. "We couldn't have drifted that far.

Mark Grayson has posed:
After a few moments, Mark stops staring at Bunny - as close as they are, it's not hard - and actually pays attention. Peering, he squints and then "Aha!" he turns so Bunny can see the Island in the distance as well. "There it is! I'll take you back there and then go fetch the surfboards!" he decides.

Heading to the island, he returns to the spot that they had made to set up for their picnic. But when they get there... something is amiss.

The cooler. The umbrella. The blanket. Her bag. His stuff.

It's all gone. With not a trace of footprints in the sand or anything.

Riddle's Bay is apparently properly named.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    No footprints in the sand. No sign of their presence. She had opened her mouth in concern as she's set down, their items missing and all she's in, is a bright pink swimsuit. The sand is hot, and she dances a moment on the heat before she digs down a little below the surface.

    "Uh. So. This is creepy a little bit -- there's no sign of even our footprints from going out to the waves, and she holds onto Mark's arm a moment, her stomach tightening.

    "Don't leave me alone." she whispers. "I don't wanna find out where the blanket went."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"Yeah... I agree." Mark says quietly, moving to pull Bunny back into his arms. "I hate to fly you back home like this... but maybe it's a good idea?" he suggests as he lifts off the sand again, shifting his gaze around his surroundings more frantically now, just in case there was something lieing in wait to try to capture the pair.

Though he does call out, "Gabby, if you did this, not funny!"

Just in case.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "This isn't Gabby's MO. She'd leave like, a rubber duckie or something. This doesn't feel right, and I'm not about to fight in what amounts to a tank top and underwear." Bunny remarks quietly to Mark, and she looks around again, trying to spot anything amiss.

    "At least we know the island didn't sink. Otherwise all the plants woul be dripping wet!"

Mark Grayson has posed:
"Let's just go... I don't want to try to decipher this in swimsuits -- we can try when we are actually dressed for the occassion." Mark responds, starting to lift her higher into the sky, watching to make sure that nothing is about to try to shoot at them.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny holds tightly to Mark, looking out over the expanse of the ocean.

    "Not a promising start to the whole dating thing; wish I had the mad hookups like some tech heroes do to pull research from like, a billion sattilites at once."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"Not promising, huh? I need to change that." And before Bunny can respond, he places a quick kiss right on the apple of her cheek before he squeezes her closer for the flight back home!

It will not be a very long flight, but it is towards the setting sun and along the coastline, giving her a generous and beautiful view that is better than any window-side seat.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    It might not be a very long flight, but Bunny uses her shielding off and on to provide relief from the wind sheer, also providing Mark with a bubble around him with the gasoline-swirl of a rainbow to block the wind from him -- not that he needs it, he can survive space.

    She, however, is glowing pink after the kiss on her cheek, and being held close. For warmth, obviously!

Mark Grayson has posed:
Mark is grateful for the shields and makes sure that Bunny knows. Yes, he is immune, but that doesn't mean he doesn't get cold or hot depending on the temperature. Eventually, he starts towards New York and frowns.

"Is there a place near where you're staying I can drop you off? I don't want you to have to walk far." he admits to her quietly, not willing to leave bikini-clad girlfriend walking the streets of New York, even if he went with her.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Ah, yeah, I keep a cache up on top of a building in Bushwick with some spare clothes --" Bunny looks around, trying to get her bearings, and motions with a hand 'That-a-way.'

    "I should even have a spare set of skates up there!" bunny gives a slight grin.

Mark Grayson has posed:
Following Bunny's directions, they soon find the rooftop, and Mark sets down, immediately turning to allow her privacy to get to her stash and slip something on. "I'm sure you'll like having the height back... but I kinda liked it when you had to climb up to..." more dark cheeks. He presses his hands together. "I mean, I don't mind your height, is all!"

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny kneels down and begins to pull out a false grate in a wall, and there's a brightly colored duffle bag.

    She glances over her shoulder to Mark, and giving a small laugh.

    "Well, the skates only add like, two inches. They're not going to make me eye-to-eye with you. That's why having the cute butt's important. My world is backs and buts and eye-level pecs." Bunny laughs, and she peels off the top of her tankini.

    Mark also gets a towel thrown at him. You should always know where your towel is.

    "It's hard being so short. Aside from people assuming I'm a little kid, they don't take me very seriously, you know?"

Mark Grayson has posed:
The towel hits him and Mark starts to dry off after it connects. "Their mistake if they don't, Bunny." he points ot as he chuckles, before turning to toss the towel back to Bunny.

"Our height difference isn't all that terrible." he comments. "After all, I think you're tall enough to ride most roller coasters."

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "Are we calling you a Roller Coaster now?" Bunny flirts saliciously back at Mark as she gives a small laugh. She's at least got a T-shirt on now, and pulls on leggings with just a *little* sight of said butt.

    "Eh, sometimes it works. Like, I took out two Triads while they were laughing. Broke their kneecaps and one's jaw with a skate and then... kinda... y'know." she pauses.

    "Indiana Jones'd the other one by hamster-balling in the hallway and running him over."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"I mean... I could give you a rough ride." She opened the door, Mark steps on in. They have officially hit the point where the flirting does draw blushes, but not as hot and hard as they used to.

Though as she describes how she took down a couple of Triads, he considers and then shakes his head, "Nope!" he decides on whatever he was thinking about.

And he plans to just leave it at that.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    "We're a couple of dorks, you know that?" Bunny laughs, and she pulls on socks. They have, predictably, bunnies on them. She tucks her damp swimsuit and the towel into the duffle, and closes the false grate as she puts her duffle over her shoulder, and she's bright red. She opens her mouth, and then closes it, and gives a laugh.

    "REally, really, hormonal dorks." she adds.

Mark Grayson has posed:
"We really are... maybe I should call it a night before you know..." Mark laughs, her own blush affecting his now as he shuffles his foot on the roof gravel. He considers the ground and the bricks, the scenery, trying not to exactly meet her in the eye.

"Because I really would like to kiss you right now." And it totally looks like he's about to fly off.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny was about to say something probably not as smart, but as Mark shuffles the gravel on the rooftop, she feels her lips press closed. She looks up to him, her hair still in salty space braids, cheeks red from being flushed. She looks down to the gravel, then looks back up to Mark and gives a small shrug of her shoulders.

    "So why don't you?"

Mark Grayson has posed:
Why doesn't he? That's a great question! And Mark looks up finally to meet her eyes again. He almost floats across the roof instead of walking, ending up in front of the woman. He is honestly trying to find something to say here, but can't.

And sometimes, actions are just better, anyway.

One hand tilts her chin up so they can meet each other as his other hand rests around her hip at the small of her back before he leans down, lips pursing together in preparation.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny hitches a breath as Mark draws her up, her head tilting back, his hand at the small of her back as she arches just a little, blue eyes looking up to Mark's gray green, and she bites her lower lip for a moment before she tilts her head just so, her eyes closing, her hands drawing up and resting on Mark's chest.

Mark Grayson has posed:
Pressing his mouth to Bunny's for several seconds, Mark draws in a breath, a smell of her shampoo mixed with sunscreen, ocean water and possibly antiseptic -- those cuts need treatment after all! No open mouth kissing, at least not yet, as Mark's grip loosens and he disengages, stepping back, cheeks flushed, and a smile spreading on his lips. "...that was nice." he admits quietly.

Bunny Macleod has posed:
    Bunny drops back down to her flat feet from her tip toes as Mark steps back, and she's a bright shade of red, right to her ears, and she rubs the back of her neck as her shoulders rise up. She gives a small squeak of a sound, and looks back up to Mark, and gives a girlish giggle.

    "I guess... I guess neither of us are bad kissers, huh?"

Mark Grayson has posed:
"I guess not. But it's a small sample size. We'll have to try some more." Mark responds, giving Bunny a wink as he steps back. "But not tonight. I need to get home and into the shower. I'll text you later." Not a question. A promise.

Rising into the air, he gives a wave to his girlfriend. "Good night, Bunny. See you ^later!" And with that he takes off towards the college.