6162/Under By The Boardwalk, Down By The Sea

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Under By The Boardwalk, Down By The Sea
Date of Scene: 08 May 2021
Location: Coney Island
Synopsis: A nice day in late spring sees a number of people congregate at the beach at Coney Island. A volleyball game breaks out.
Cast of Characters: Gwen Stacy, Jimmy Hudson, Eddie Brock, Scott Summers, Natasha Cranston, Kiari Song, Freddy Freeman




Gwen Stacy has posed:
How to goad someone out on a Saturday afternoon when the sun is bright and up in the sky?

"Lets go to Coney Island..." "It's a bit out of the way...." The response swiftly coming, "They also got a beach ..."

And that pretty much settled that conversation and on how Gwen convinced Eddie to come and spend some time at the beach on this lovely afternoon. Easy!

So making her way down to the hot sand and sinking her toes in she grins. "First time of the year that I get to do this.." a bright smile on the blonde's expression. She is dressed in a cropped top today, jean shorts and a pair of sunglasses covering those blue eyes. The rest? A towel over her shoulder. All that's needed for some beach fun! Many seem to have gotten the same idea already, not exactly full crowded but a few people seen here and there, either with families or friends, enjoying the nice day out. Still a bit windy but that never gets in the way! (Hopefully..)

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
Jimmy has taken the day for himself, leaving work behind and heading for the city. After a few stops, he finds himself wandering the beach and enjoying the day. No towel, but he's dressed for it in shorts, a tank top and sandals. He's solo, just kind of walking and half paying attention to his surroundings. Finally he plops down on an open patch of sand, stretching out to take in some sun.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock had been feeling lazy, and drawn a deep breath to protest while his head was buried in his rugby magazine. Until Gwen added that extra comment. Causing Eddie to sit up where he was slouching on the couch. "Beach?" he repeats, glancing over at Gwen, likely imagining her in a bikini.

And so now he finds himself, following the younger blond woman down to the beach. He's wearing a pair of board shorts and an old tank top with the name of a gym on it that one could believe from his size that he'd worked out at.

Old cheap sunglasses shield his eyes from the sun. The weather is beautiful, about 75 degrees, or for those visiting from Europe, around 24 C. Eddie slips off his sandals once they hit the sand, feet squeaking on the white grains as they head out onto the lightly crowded beach. "I admit, this was a pretty good idea," he tells her. He's got a big beach towel as well, and then has a small cooler he's carrying as well.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott Summers isn't as allergic to fun as some people might claim him to be. In fact, he has a quota for fun. A quota he needed to meet to keep a promise to himself and his friends that he wouldn't spend every waking moment either on a mission, working at the school, or in the danger room training for every possible contingency imaginable.

Today, he's wearing fashionable sandals, a pair of khaki shorts, and a salmon-colored Hawaiian shirt that goes nicely with his ruby colored sun-glasses. Clutched carefully in his hand is a cardboard tray containing a chili dog, he munches it with tactical precision to avoid mission fail of staining his shirt.

Sprawled out on a reclining chair, he watches the ocean pensively, chewing.

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    It is indeed a lovely spring day, and it has been entirely too long since Natasha has allowed herself some actual relaxation.

    Of course, Natasha Cranston spending time at a public beach would cause entirely too much fuss with would-be paparazzi and tabloid reporters. Thankfully, nobody at all gives a damn if Jenny skips Capoeira practice for a day to go work on her tan instead...

    So there she is, reclining on a towel, wearing a /mostly/ modest bikini while the sun works its magic, the rest of the clothes she wore on the way here folded in the basket beside her, letting the world be the world for a day.

Kiari Song has posed:
    Welcome to New York City! The Big Apple! The city that never sleeps! Where you can find anything and everything if you search long enough or Google well enough. Well, at least, that was the way that Kiari Song understood the place. She had finally left her old home, training complete, and now she was here, given an address to head to, buuuuuuut, its NEW YORK. You can't just show up and not take in the sights first! Right? Right.

    Coney Island was one of the first things she heard about and it ended up being the first place she was able to get to. Sure, there were plenty of odd looks and mumbled insults, but those weren't bothering her. Not yet. It was time to be AMERICAN. Hotdogs and Ice Cream and all the novelties that make such a place just ... just -great-. It's why the mutate is on a bench, chilling along the waterfront, devouring what is LIKELY her very first chili dog and soda. DELICIOUS.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
With Eddie admitting that it was indeed a good idea it makes Gwen arch a brow, arms opening to the side, "Because I have bad ideas..?" a beat, " .. wait, don't answer that!" a cintillating laugh and then Gwen is taking a jog further down and closer to the sea. Not that she goes in. She still has to get out of her clothes first! (She will keep the bikini on, don't worry).

Instead she places her towel on the sand, getting out of her top and jeans to get down to the aforementioned bikini. Some sand is tossed around while she is doing that, which may just hit some of those more pensive figures sitting by their broodsome selves on the beach!

And look at all those sculpted bodies! She grins over her shoulder at Eddie. "You know, I wasn't going to say anything but I sort of will, you sort of have some competition on biggest guy on the beach today." she teases.

And does she note a red panda about. She sure does! Though she doesn't gawk or stare. New York. It's normal! Besides, she *is* Ghost Spider.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie follows in his determined stride to the spot that Gwen picked. At her initial question he opens his mouth to reply, but she's just in time to cut him off before he can get any words out. He just gives her a grin then and spreads his own beach towel alongside hers, overlapping slightly so when he puts the cooler where the corners meet it will keep the towels from being caught by the breeze. Sea gulls drift overhead on that light wind, looking about for people who might be there to feed them, or even just might not be paying enough attention to their food. A small flock of them wheel and dart overhead of Kiari.

Eddie glances around the beach at Gwen's second comment and says in his slightly slurred, deep bass way of speaking, "Only one judge's rating that I care about," he tells her. "And definitely not the Russian one." He does glance around the beach, seeing Jimmy sit not too far away, and the woman in the modest bikini on the other side, with the man with the red-lensed glasses or visor not too far away either. He peels off his own t-shirt then, revealing a few tattoos as he drops the garment to one side.

Some kids are playing frisbee near by, the disc floating through the air as two of them run along, competing for who is going to catch it. A beach volleyball court set up nearby has a spirited game underway.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott was minding his own business when a little sand tinkles against his ruby lens and lands on a morsel of his chili-dog. He frowns and reaches down to pinch it out of his food. He then calls over to Gwen with a modestly cranky tone, "Hey, watch the sand, you mind?"

Mister Summers might be described as one of the beach bods giving people a run for their money. Scott has the strong forearms, defined chest and abs of someone who spends a LOT of time training. The perks of discipline. With the discipline comes the ability to not make mountains out of ant hills. Thus, he seems more annoyed then angry at Gwen.

His head on a swivel, he takes note of mutate. His frown disappearing to become a thin line of concern. She suddenly becomes a mission. He scans the perimeter to look for anyone of the usual characters who harass the 'abnormal'. He relaxes a little when there's no obvious 'bubba' to worry about. He does notice Jimmy though. He raises a hand and calls out, "Small world."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
Jimmy is not in the least broodsome. In fact, he's quite relaxed and happy looking, even if the lack of towel or other beach supplies indicates that the beach wasn't a planned stop on his day. Now that he's here though, he's enjoying the sun and sights. As people settle into the area around him, he glances around, notices Scott's wave and returns it. "Yo, didn't expect to see you here. Good for you!" He grins and remains where he is, fortunately not getting hit by any flying sand. To be honest, he's fairly ripped as well. Being a Phys Ed teacher as well as training tends to do that.

Kiari Song has posed:
    So far, at least today, there's no real significant protests to Kiari's continued existence! The only ones that have really noticed the mutate, fresh off a plane, are the seagulls calling out from above. While she is enjoying that first chili-dog state side, the fries on the bench beside her are tempting the gulls. And they are just -too- tempting.

    In what amounts to a testament of her newness stateside, one of the gulls makes a dare and comes away successful, carrying a few fries from the basket. The russle of it got her attention and a glare of protest, but not much more than a shrug a moment later. Not a big deal to her, it seems. ... That could spell trouble later.

    The populace is an interesting one to watch, seeing as right now Kiari's not going to be doing much else. Just trying to get an idea of what life is like. Beach bods, bikini's towels, gulls, beach sports, all new to her!

Gwen Stacy has posed:
A laugh comes out of Gwen at Eddie's response, conceding with a, "Fine, fine. You got me there. The judge is adamant in giving you top scores still.." again with the teasing voice. Though her expression shifts a bit when she notes she hit someone. And that they noticed! (Even worse). "Hey, sorry about that.." she lifting her hand in genuine apology before pointing with her thumb back at Eddie. "His fault." liar! "He couldn't contain himself so excited he was about coming to the beach today.." uh-uh..

And hoping no further trouble comes from there she settles down on her towel, still sitting, her eyes going over at the various activities going on. Frisbee. Volleyball.. Well, that does sound like fun. "We should go shoot some balls at the volleyball court. Too bad we didn't bring a ball." she lets out a soft sigh.

A few surfers are seen further in the water, along with some brave ones who decided to go for a swim. Sure, it's nice out, but 24 C is still cold waters awaiting any daring swimmers! Though the way Gwen looks it might be she will be there soon enough...

That kind of big-eyed look of discovering the big city for the first time is something Gwen understands, and seeing that look on Kiari's face she waves first and then makes a 'come here' gesture. Friendly!

Natasha Cranston has posed:
The Shadow may have encountered the Ghost Spider a few times, but Jenny has never in her life met Gwen Stacy before. She doesn't recognize the petite blonde, and she's in entirely too mellow a mood right now to object too much to a little stray sand.

    "Might wanna be careful with that," she murmurs, tilting her head toward the younger woman for a moment to look at her over her sunglasses.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock's eyes go from Scott to Gwen as she blames him for the sand. "Et tu, Brutae?" he asks Gwen with a quiet gasp, and then looks back towards Scott to flash the man a shrug. What's he to do.

Eddie digs in the cooler and pulls out some suntan lotion. "It's a little cold right now," he says, tossing the bottle down to catch some sun and warm up first. He straightens then and looks over towards the volleyball court where eight people are currently playing, split between the two sides.

"I can go see if they'll let us take on winners," he suggests to Gwen. "I'll finally get to find out if you're as athletic as you look," he tells the younger woman with a teasing grin.

He heads over to the game, heavy walk plodding across the sand. "Hey guys. Mind if we take on winners?" he asks, motioning towards the blond coed back on the towels and himself. One of the players says, "Sure, but pick up two more players so we can keep playing fours, ok?"

Eddie nods and heads back to Gwen. "They said we can have next game, but we need to pick up two more people for even teams." He looks around, eyes going to Scott since Gwen's already conversed with him, and he heard Scott and Jimmy talking. "You guys feel like playing?" He glances towards the red panda woman that Gwen is waving over, Eddie's expression curious. "Or maybe you want to invite her to play?" Eddie suggests to Gwen.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott's eyebrow raises over his ruby lens at Gwen puts the blame on Eddie. He shakes his head with a chuckle. "Hey, don't pin your crimes on your boyfriend. You might get him into a fight with some meathead."

Jimmy gets a nod and a half-grin. "Good for me? Ouch. Well, glad you are here, so I have a witness that I do sometimes have a life. I might ask you to put it in writing later."

Gwen gets a side-eye when she waves the mutate over. This draws a genuine smile. Okay, this one isn't so bad, just a little careless.

Eddie gets a glance at the request, he hums in consideration looking over to Jimmy and then Kiari. "Sure, I'm game... but I'll give up my slot if both of them want to play instead. I'll just referee in that case."

Finishing off his hotdog, he wipes his hands on a napkin then pushes out of his chair to extend a hand to both Eddie and Gwen. "Scott."

Kiari Song has posed:
    More distractions! At least the gulls will be fed, today. Kiari's simply forgotten about the side she had grabbed, to absorbed by the city, the drink she has, and now the wave being offerd to her from Gwen. There's a sort of, 'who, me?' at first, complete with a self point, but understanding dawns, she hops up off the bench. Food's done, gulls fed, drink is brought along.
    "Ah, hello! Did you need something?" The volleyball invite wouldn't be turned down, but ultimately she may need a couple little tips about rules and such. This is all REALLY new. At least her english is -really- good. Any sort of accent is very, very light.

Freddy Freeman has posed:
    The semester, though not over, has gone reasonably well for Freddy, and as something of a premature treat for his efforts, his adopted parents have decided to take him to Coney Island for a beach day! It sounded exciting, but an hour or two into it, the foster kid's leg, which is on full display today with its abundance of angry red scars, started to bug him, and he's become sedentary. Victor and Rosa continue to look after him, offering him sunscreen or food or a ride back home. It's all very oppressive to the moody teenager, and without a word, he takes his beach towel and moves to a different part of the beach.

    Like where this volleyball game is set up, and where beefcake, beach bods, and red panda happen to be converging. He spreads his towel over a spot in the sand, and with a wince, settles onto it, watching the spectacle and keeping his crutch close to him.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Hey!" Gwen says in greeting to Kiari when she comes close by. "And ah, mostly saying hello. Saw you looking. You are new to the area, aren't you?" She asks. Maybe she has a sixth sense to these things! Or maybe it's just the way in which Kiari is taking everything as if it was a new experience that betrays it. "We were just talking about playing some volleyball.."

Her eyes go to Eddie when he is back with the confirmation that indeed there may be playing to be done. This sounds good to her. As for being athletic... "Look, Captain Stacy raised no slouch. I can hold up .." maybe more than just holding up, but wouldn't be good showing too much of that athletic prowess! At least without the ghost spider suit on ...

Natasha, or shall we say Jenny, gets a glance from Gwen, then a grin. Like the other woman she doesn't really know of Jenny's alter ego as the Shadow. But she smiles, "Sorry. Just a little sand though and ..." she leaning over. ".. it turns into a great excuse to go hit the waves." see? Always look on the bright side.

Scott introducing himself brings both a smile and a handshake out of Gwen, "Gwen Stacy. The big guy is Eddie Brock.", she says, "Good to meet you." as for teams, she will let Eddie handle that. Delegating!

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
Jimmy nods, "Sure, I'll fill out a team if needed. Gotta warn you, I'm kind of a ringer though. I'm a Phys Ed teacher, so I'm pretty familiar with volleyball." The mutate gets a look and a friendly wave as she joins the general group, "Hey there."

Returning his attention to the group in general, he continues, "Name's Jimmy, nice to meet you all. Seems like we all decided it was too nice a day to stay inside."

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock shakes Scott's hand. "Eddie," he tells the other man. "And I'll just offer a blanket apology for Gwen," he says, keeping his eyes on Scott, but Eddie's lips are twitching with a teasing smirk trying to get out. "I should really make a laminated card or something, now that I think of it," he says, moving a hand to his chin as if considering that though.

As Kiari walks over, Eddie turns to her and gives her a nod of greeting. "Yeah," he says in his bass voice that has a bit of a warble to it much of the time. "Welcome to join us. We're taking on the winners," he says, motioning over to the game. "Maybe they'll let us play with 5 or 6 even if more want to play, pick up some people from the losing team," he says. He looks over to Jenny and Jimmy in turn after making the comment, Jimmy already having had an invitation, but seeming to join Jenny into it after the ever-friendly Gwen has engaged her in conversation.

Eddie glances over at Freddy's leg teen moves over to sit by himself. Eddie missed that he was with others before, just thinks he's there by himself most likely.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott nods to Gwen as she introduces herself and Eddie. He smiles toward Jimmy and Kiari, "Looks like you've got your two. Hey Jimmy, do right by Kiari and give her a few tips before you start, alright? Your job isn't to win. It's to make sure she has fun. Got it?"

There's the bossy side of Scott, treating Jimmy like he's on mission. Not that he really had to give Jimmy the guidance anyway, he's sure he would have gone into teacher mode anyway. Scott does hope that saying it out loud will give Kiari a little confidence.

He shakes Eddie's hand firmly. "I'm happy watching if it makes things simpler to arrange."

Turning, he grabs his chair and drags it toward the sand court side, setting up to spectate.

Kiari Song has posed:
    "Oh, well hello then!" The mutate's a bit surprised Gwen has such a good eye for how she was behaving, It is that obvious, then? Well I will not argue it. I just got off of a plane today. Thankfully people have not been as bad as I was told to expect!" Introductions are going around. Oh right. Bow. "Kiari Song. Nice to meet everyone here." The net, the ball, and all of that are given a firm look. "I will have to figure this out, but I am a pretty fast learner, I think!" Oh, she is. They'll be seeing that agility of hers pretty quick once the game gets started."

Freddy Freeman has posed:
    Freddy leans forward to massage his left leg. The kid isn't much to behold, skin and bone mostly, and he's wearing a pair of swimming trunks with the Fantastic Four logo over his backside. No shirt. He lifts a hand in greeting when Eddie glances over at him and sorta lifts his chin, before settling in to watch the game.

    Scott gets a curious look as he makes his way onto the sidelines. "Not playing? I wish I could," He lets his lips tug into a mildly sarcastic grin. "but I think I'd wipe the floor with this lot. Wouldn't be fair, you know."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Yea. I am sure we can get more to play." A glance over her shoulder at the game that's close to it's end, "The only condition is that noone can drag their feet more than I do." she says in jest, followed by a wink. There goes Eddie's dream of Gwen being a super athlete! Or is she?!

"Good to meet you all." A smile being shared to the little volleyball 'gang' starting to come together.

The bossy side of Scott doesn't go unnoticed, she chuckling. "You do have that referee going, that's true..." a laugh, "But you should play."

She gets up to her feet after, shaking some sand off her legs, "Well, Jimmy here is a Phys Ed teacher so he will get you through the motions." she says to Kiari.

Freddy's bravado is met with a grin out of Gwen. "Why don't you come play with us then?"

Natasha Cranston has posed:
    Jenny looks Gwen over a moment longer, then smiles. "That's not a half bad idea," she comments, then rolls to her back and gets to her feet before heading off into the water.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
Jimmy nods at Kiari, "Not a problem, I can walk you through the basics pretty easily, it's not a terribly hard game to understand, just takes some practice." Glancing over at Freddy, he nods, "Yeah, we can get you in the game, if you want. Shouldn't be too big a problem." Scott's instructions are met with a very slight eyeroll, but then, he's already in teacher mode, so that evens out anyway. "I bet we can get a good team going here."

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock smiles over to Jimmy. "Hey, we'll take a ringer," he confirms after hearing what Jimmy's job is. He looks back to Kiari then and as he realizes she doesn't know the game in question.

"It's pretty straight forward," Eddie tells Kiari. "One team serves it over the net. The other team can contact it three times and needs to get it back across the net. No catching and throwing, it has to bounce off you. If it ends hitting the ground inside the lines on the other team's side you win the point, if it lands in your side they get a point. If it lands out or anywhere else, whichever team touched it last loses the point," he says. He motions to the court, and explains setting when one of the players does it. "That's the only thing you can do besides bounce. Or if you can jump high enough you can spike it to the other side."

Eddie grins over to Freddy as he hears him. Eddie's got about 20 years on the teen and says in a good-natured tone, "I don't know if they'll let us play with two ringers, yeah."

The previous game finishes up. "Ok, you're up," the other foursome say. They all look college age or so. One girl and three boys. One of the boys stands there with a cocky look on his face. Something about him makes Eddie want to call him Chet.

"So are you guys ready or what?" that guy says in an annoyed tone, prompting the girl on their team to say, "Relax Chet, they are coming."

Scott Summers has posed:
Gwen gets a grin, "If they can find the people, I'll join in... but."

He eyes Chet then looks to Kiari and Freddy. He hums, "On second thought, yea, they better find another player, because I'm definitely helping out."

He has Chet's number. Typical beach bully who needs to be brought down a peg for his own sake. He nods grimly then looks to the others, "Most important aspect of this game is teamwork. You bump... that takes speed off the opponent's ball. You set... that puts the ball in good position for your teammates, and then you launch the ball over.. preferably toward empty sand."

Scott demonstrates the tactics with his hands then pats Jimmy on the shoulder, "He'll help on your form."

Kiari Song has posed:
    There's a lot of listening going on. Kiari's attentive to the instructions. Bounces only, lines, in, out points, the whole thing. "Between watching earlier and hearing all that, I think I understand." Serves, sets, spikes, was there a two bounce rule? Doesn't matter! She seems excited to participate, and to not have anyone giving her a hard time. .. Chet may leer at her as she steps onto the 'court' of sand, but honestly? She won't notice unless he says something. Besides, she's not really in 'beach' attire. This is all very impromptu! Kinda obvious when you're in a t-shirt, jeans, and what looks like hiking boots. At least they're all lightly colored. She doesn't appear to be bothered by the heat.

Freddy Freeman has posed:
    Freddy isn't sure if Gwen's making fun of him or what, but he waves his crutch at her with an almost sulky look. "I'm probably too slow for that guy's speed," He points the crutch over at 'Chet' and then lays back onto his towel. He puts in a single earbud, snaps open a water bottle, and lets the sun do its work, shutting his eyes for now.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
There's always a Chet, isn't there?! But Gwen is all smiles to that one, "Relax. Are you so eager to lose?" smooooth. But she likes getting that little competitive spirit going! She lets out a soft laugh and a small shake of her head, reaching up to gather her blonde hair up in a ponytail and catch it behind her ears. No good getting a ball in the face because she didn't see it coming! It's only details she could see it coming with her eyes closed but ...

"You will learn it in no time." She says to Kiari with a reassuring tone before moving to a position on the field, hands on her hips.

"Hey Eddie..." A low tone to her when she speaks. "Would be a real shame if Chet there got a ball in the face...." so evil!

"Anyway, it's five of us versus five of you. So go ahead and pick a few more from the others." She points.

And then she starts going through some warm ups, getting those limbs all stretched up and limber. As they should be.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
Jimmy demonstrates a few of the regular methods for hitting the ball, both one and two handed moves, and also explains the zone each player usually covers. Grinning at Chet, he spins the volleyball on one finger effortlessly and adds to what Gwen says with a simple, "Bet you hate to lose."

Freddy gets a slightly concerned look, he was serious in his offer to fit the boy in. Wouldn't be the first challenged player he had worked with, but he's also sensitive enough not to force the issue, especially with a stranger. Once Kiari seems to have a grasp of the basics, he moves onto the court, "Ok, let's play."

Eddie Brock has posed:
Chet and company pick up a fifth person. The girl introduces herself, she seems nice enough. "I'm Mary. And you met Chet. There's Bob and Gary, and we'll grab Barb from the last time," she says.

Eddie nods across the net. "Thanks for letting us play," he tells them. He looks back to Scott, nodding as he decides to join them after all. A wry chuckle is given at Jimmy's comment about Gwen's competitiveness. "I don't know that she ever loses," he tells Jimmy a stage whisper before smiling back to Gwen.

"Alright," Eddie says with a clap of his hands. "Let's do this." Chet, meanwhile, can be heard giving a scoffing laugh on the other side of the net and saying something to one of his friends. The words "old people" are all that make it across. Except for those with great hearing like Jimmy and maybe Kiari, who hear Chet say how he's going to love stomping the old people.

The other team decides to let the challengers serve first. They toss the ball over. Eddie goes over to take the other back corner spot, letting someone else serve first.

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott is very good with projectiles and angles. Amazingly good as a matter of fact. However, he doesn't want to crush Chet quite yet. He takes the center front, so he can help defend with his height and also set for his other team mates.

He takes off his sandals and curls his toes into the sand, tossing the shoes off the court. Oddly, he keeps the sun glasses on. He even grabs a band from his pocket and affixes his glasses firmly so they won't come off.

Looking to the others, he hums to himself then grins. "The other team really doesn't stand a chance. We should make sure Chet feels like he's got a chance though. It'll make the fall harder on him."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"I have this big 'crush your enemies' magnet on my fridge back home." Gwen says about her competitiveness and willingness to never lose, a glance to Eddie as if for him to confirm. Though then it's show time! Good! Too much talk gets her tongue dry...

So she walks to the serving station to get on going. She will hold up defense with Eddie on the back!

But first, lets let them think they have a chance.. She rolls the ball on her hands, a bit hesitatingly, then a look to the net, to the others.., and she does the most basic of basics services to the other side. Those observant enough will be able to notice she is faking her clumsiness though!

Chet looks way confident on seeing that though, and in fact he receives a pass from Mary and does a spike right towards Kiari! He did hear she was new! Test of fire!

Kiari Song has posed:
    The newbie doesn't move to serve, instead she takes a spot up near the net, center, and waits for the game to start. The ones on the other side of the net are regarded warmly. Except for Chet. Chet's a jerk, and she heard what he said. "I'm only 18, you know!" she barks.

    Seems The Chet didn't take very kindly to Kiari's comment. The spike, however, is blocked in a way that looks effortless. She took a step back, knelt, and set the ball -straight- up for whoever wanted to send it back. "Slow!"

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
Jimmy grins and takes Kiari's set, as he had taken the spot beside her in case she needed any pointers. It appears, however, that she's got a good handle on this, so instead he whacks the ball in the direction of the opposing team's back line. One of the girls there sets for her team, and the ball is returned, headed for Scott's position.

The man in the ruby shades easily sets perfectly for the team, the ball seeming to hover in midair for someone to spike!

Scott Summers has posed:
Scott's contribution to the game comes in a few different forms.

One, he exercises immaculate ball control. When the ball enters his zone, he calls it, and bumps it perfectly always for an easy set. The model of discipline.

Two, he's quick on the save. It's like he knows exactly what's going to happen based on his team mate's position and hand position. Even when someone flubs because they just barely get a hand on the ball or maybe they hit the ball just a little off. Scott is fast on the recovery, regaining ball control and resetting the course for victory.

Three, when Scott is on the attack, he uses Chet's aggression against him, landing the ball in a grey area of zone, so Chet ends up competing with his teammates.

Four, Scott seems to realize that not everyone on the other side is Chet. He offers easy attacks to the others, but with Chet, he's always ruthless. Tactically, it makes everyone on the opposing team look good, with their own moments, except Chet.

In some ways, Scott is playing his own game. He's set his objective and now he pursues it ruthlessly. As a result, he fades into the background helping others take the limelight

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock knows who the age comments are directed at. He's got a decade on everyone else on the team, unless someone is much older than they appear. He moves about the court, repositioning slightly to be ready to help if someone sends the ball bouncing off the wrong way.

Eddie moves over, ready to cover as Kiari goes up to spike. Chet jumps up to try to block her but the ball shoots past him and hits the sand.

Point for the good guys!

Chet kicks the ball over to their side, Eddie picking it up and tossing it back to Gwen again. "Great job," he says to the team as he bends over, hands on his knees as the ball launches across the net. Another volley ensues with both teams digging up the ball and getting it back across the net, sometimes as a spike and other times just having to dump it over.

Kiari Song has posed:
    That leap and spike was pretty quick! Especially for someone that just picked up the game for the first time. "Nice!" Seeing it hit the sand gets a leap of joy out of Kiari, smiling around at her teammates before she settles at the center of the net, waiting for the serve and the next round. There's definitely something different about this one. .. Beyond not being entirely human, clearly.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
With the game going Gwen gets more into it. Sure she has no murderous plans for Chet, mostly there for fun, being a little 'clumsy', certainly no Ghost Spider! Nope! Just a normal girl. Or at least apparently. Sometimes that competitive vibe does come up..., like she launching herself to the side to catch a really hard ball so that Chet doesn't score. And even once she reaching out with a FOOT to get a ball off the line, making it rebound to Eddie so he can set someone else.

"Lucky.." She says a touch embarassedly.

But other than those odd moments of 'hey maybe that girl plays a lot better than she shows' she is just there to have fun. And that part is genuine! And it means mostly setting up plays with Eddie.

Or making him run. She likes watching him run too.

"Dont let that ball hit the ground, Eddie!"

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
Jimmy stops worrying about Kiari's ability about 2 minutes into the game and starts playing for real. Honestly, the kids on the other side have no hope at all. The team on this side is just entirely too coordinated, agile and skilled to give up more than a point or two. Chet especially seems to have a bad day, as he had earned the 'score against me' tag from most of the older team with his attitude.

It pretty soon becomes clear which side is going to win, but they don't make it a huge blowout right away, instead having fun with the game.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock does a lot of running, it seems. He could have swore Gwen was positioned to pass it up to Jimmy, when the ball instead goes caroming off past Eddie and he has to run and dive fully stretched out to bump it back to the rest of the team before landing heavy in the sand.

He gets up and trots back over quickly to get back in the point. Anyone watching would get the feeling he's fairly athletic, though maybe volleyball isn't a game he's played enough to excel at. He's built more like a rugby player, or maybe an MMA fighter, truth be told. Mostly he tries to set up the others on the team. He feeds the ball to Kiari, Jimmy, Scott and Gwen as much as possible.

After one of the times that he was set up by Gwen, and Eddie put the spike away, he grins, pausing as he's walking past her back to his spot. Slipping an arm about her and brushing a kiss to her forehead. "Nice one," he tells her with a grin.

The score is climbing, both teams scoring now and then, though the good guys are coming out ahead far more than not. Soon it is game point.

Kiari Song has posed:
    That was something that they didn't really mention. Just what score were they playing to anyway? ... Oh this is game point? Well then. That puts a bit of steel in Kiari's stance. She's been doing pretty well at center, getting sets, getting the occasional spike when it comes her way, she even got a really good block at one point! A 'lets get'em!' sort of signal is given to the others on her team before she just stares daggers at Chet's stupid face. She's pretty sure she heard an insult from him when she made that block. She wants to shove that right back in his face by winning this.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Gwen gives Eddie her best 'no idea how the ball went that way!' kinda look. Very innocent. But there's a teasing little grin on her expression. But with the game going on she is simply laughing and having fun. The kiss on her forehead seems welcome and she nudges him with an elbow. "Nice catching.."

Game point is coming. Responsibility! So Gwen gets her 'game face' on. Focused. And with a little bit of team work they set it up, all ready for Kiari to finish it with a big spike! She can see how the panda is looking at Chet with that need to do some serious spiking on the guy!

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
Jimmy leaves this one for Kiari as well, watching Gwen set up the perfect spike for the panda. He nods to her and gestures toward Chet, pretending to go up for the ball to distract the younger man across the net so Kiari can hammer the game point home.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie scrambles around during the point. Chet doesn't seem too happy his opponents have a chance to win on this play. He's definitely playing a bit more aggressively than the rest of his team, and taking unfavorable happenings more poorly.

The dark-haired man moves over as the ball comes his way, passing it to Gwen and watching as she sets the ball up for Kiari. Chet moves over, jumping with both arms up to try to block it!

Kiari Song has posed:
    The fake from Jimmy certainly helps, but it is entirely clear that Kiari's about to put all the mustard on the set that Gwen put up for her. Chet goes up, but Kiari goes up just that much more, and for added salt in the wound, there's a spin in that jump that adds that much more torque to the ball when Kiari's hand comes slamming down on it. Maybe Chet doesn't WANT to be in the way of it at that point, but well, it is way too late now. INCOMING.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
A torque spin spike? Yes, Chet would had liked to be anywhere but up on the net. The ball hits him on the face, making the young man let out a 'hmph' and fall back on his behind. Some of the other players on his own team let out a chuckle (and so does Gwen), but then it's game point and so the young blonde jumps up. "We won!" as it it's a surprise. Their team was stacked! Even if they have no idea of each other's powers! Well, maybe they know a bit of Kiari's ...

"Ah, nothing like some exercise to get the blood flowing.." She says to the others, giving a thumbs up. Day at the beach? Getting a little tan? A good day in her book!

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
Jimmy high-5's all around, "Nice work all. We make a good team." He ducks under the net to shake hands with the opposing team, yes, even Chet. This is the kind of thing he does for a living, so he's good at cheering the losers of the contest just as much as the winners. Coming back over to the team, he says, "Nice to meet you all. Give me a call if you ever want to put another team together, or just hang out on the beach or something." He's actually got cards with his name, email and number that he offers around.

Kiari Song has posed:
    Celebration! After the spike is planted firmly in The Chet's face, and the point is earned, Kiari just hops in delight for a moment before turning to the rest of her team to celebrate with them. High fives and claps all around, and whatever else. She'll be a good sport, hand shake, even apologize to Chet for the fact his face is now going to be red for a little while, but whatever. Don't insult people based on what they look like! Hmph. "Thanks for the game, all! What a wonderful time on my first day here. This was great!"

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock congratulates Kiari. "That was a great spike!" he tells her with a smile. He joins Jimmy then in stepping under the net to congratulate the other team. "Thanks for the game," Mary says to them, not seeming to upset at losing. Chet's a bit glum but touches hands with each of them.

Eddie smiles over to Jimmy and Scott. "Thanks for playing. And nice to meet you as well," he says. He'll get Jimmy's card, slipping it into a pocket of his board shorts. He invites them to come have a drink from the cooler that Eddie and Gwen brought, and everyone is able to enjoy the sun and warm weather for the rest of the day.