9135/Hula Skirts and Coconuts

Hula Skirts and Coconuts
Date of Scene:	17 December 2021
Location:	Kauna'oa Bay, Hawaii
Synopsis:	Wade and Sara have dance lessons - that get interrupted when Cael sneaks off to a hair salon. And no one likes Cael's idea of eating spam, kimchi, and baked egg pizza.
Cast of Characters:	Cael Becker, Sara Pezzini, Wade Wilson

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Cael Becker has posed:
    It's a few days into the group's Hawaiian vacation, and life in the company of Cael Becker has been... interesting, to say the least. It's hard to know if she'll end up silent and sullen, bitingly angry, or perhaps more akin to forced good humor. Her sleep was troubled, to say the least, though other than //one// night she hasn't tried to go completely without sleeping.
    The activities they've filled their days with have all been active - and often with a thrill-seeking edge to them that seems to bring back some of Cael's usual fire for a time - and in those moments where she's more herself, she's offered the ocassional brief apology for some of her more egrigious behaviour. Given the nature of many of their previous acitivities, she seems surprisingly okay with the notion of learning //hula dancing// as the group approach a small stage built onto the sand, just off one of the more touristy streets filled with shops and restaurants.
    "You sure they're not teaching fire dancing?" she asks as they approach, her hands shoved into the back-pockets of her jeans.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Since the first day of the trip, Sara has been like a tour guide in how she's planned things to do. The fliers and pamphets lay out on the table and on occasion she'll scoot one Cael's way to gauge her interest. That was how they ended up petting baby sharks in a tank yesterday, and were going into a shark cage out at sea tomorrow. She wasn't forcing anything on her friend, merely making suggestions of what might be fun. If Cael wanted to sit in the room and brood, that was alright as well, but since there was no alcohol allowed, seemed Cael was interested in active things.

The suggestion to learn hula dancing had started as a joke, but the more Sara thought about it, the more interesting it sounded, for a number of reasons. Nothing wrong with learning a little Polynesian culture while here.

"Sorry Cael, this one is hula," she comments with a chuckle. "I could look into finding a group who teaches fire dancing, though that sounds insanely dangerous to try learning. I'll bet they start without the fire and build up to it."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    "Fire dancing takes more than a few lessons to learn" Wade says as he surveys the place. He's dressed in a hoodie, swim trucks and a oversized buttoned shirt with large flowers in pink and blue all over it. His bare legs do look like he's been in a fire or a shark attack... or both. Simultaneously. Regardless, he doesn't seem to mind the looks he's been given throughout their vacation.

    "Hula isn't much easier... but doesn't come with waiver forms and insurance claims. Except for people who don't have strong hips." He grins. "I did hula once... I think... maybe not me. Or not this me... whatever. Let's check it out." He gives both of them a mischeivous look and says. "I want to wear s grass skirt and show you both that these hips don't lie."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Not as dangerous as our day job," Cael points out in a dry tone, though she doesn't press on the issue of fire dancing. It was simply an attempt at banter - and she's //made// the attempt. It's like she's checking off boxes on a checklist to prove to everying that she really is trying to be alright.
    She is trying.
    "Yeah but - will the grass skirt make you look good, or the other way around?" she counters, hands still shoved deep into her pockets.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
A small group of people, mostly women, have formed up around the sand stage and begun to collect grass skirts from the helpers. The general atmosphere is happy, with laughter and kids teasing each other. Sara watches them a moment then looks to Cael.

"Wade can make anything look good Cael," she comments before slipping her arm around him. "I mean look at him, he's smokin hot, no pun intended. And now I'm looking forward to getting him into a grass skirt."

For this little adventure she had chosen a a pair of shorts over a green one piece that was lower cut in the front and back, but comfortable. Over it she presently wore a much too large Hawaiian print shirt of bright blue flowers, and huge green ferns and leaves. It was gawdy and perfect for Hawaii, and best of all /made/ in Hawaii. On her feet she wore pair of simple sandals that strapped in place, but she was ready to rip them off to dance if needed.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade for his part, had been patient with Cael. He's been through enough hell in his own life and understood, at least in part, what she was going through. His captivity had been at the hands of an organization intent on torturing him into subservience not a single individual... but the captivity part of it still fit.

    "Let's go and see which one is true" he says winking to the pair and making his way toward the stage. "Wonder if they have coconut bras too. I mean, if I'm going to look the part, I'm going to look the part."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael mutters something under her breath - but the observant might guess it had something to do with Sara getting him //out// of the grass skirt. As the trio approach the stage, her gaze is drawn by the water, and she loses her for a few moments, simply staring at the waves washing onto the shore, before she pulls her attention back to her two friends. "If it's alright, I'll just enjoy the show. You two enjoy the lesson together, huh?" she suggests.
    Of course, Wade has no way of knowing that Sara and Cael had planned this out a couple days ago while he was out shopping for the skimpiest bathing suit he could find. Cael never had any intention of learning //dancing// - let alone hula. Ugh.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The mutter wasn't missed, and Cael wasn't entirely wrong. Sara wouldn't mind the idea of getting Wade out of the skirt for some fun, but first hula. When they had planned it out, Sara was pretty sure Cael needed a perk, and this was it. Sara really wanted to see Wade in a grass skirt, so the combination worked out for both of them. Cael got to laugh at the two of them trying to hula, and Wade in that grass skirt, and Sara got to see it and try to learn to hula... win, win.

"All good Cael," she offers with a smile. "Take pictures for me?"

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade didn't miss much. He wouldn't be one of the best in the business if he did. He could tell the two women were up to something between themselves. But to be honest, he didn't mind. The pair of them were inside his circle. Or well, Sara was in his circle and Cael was in by proxy.

    "Make sure to try and get my good side" he says to Cael. "It's the one that says 'good' in the scars if you squint and tilt your head just a touch." He winks again and follows along beside Sara as they move to the stage proper for the lesson.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Yeah I'll do that," Cael agrees.
    She moves off to settle herself into the sand near a few other observers - kicking off her own sandals, so she can dig her toes into the sand. She pulls out her phone, accessing the phone function so she can take some photos and videos of the proceedings, her gaze drawn periodically towards the water, though her gaze returns to her phone before too much time has passed - eyeing the time on the phone before she'll snap a few more photos.
    Her personal goal? To snap a picture of Wade in his skirt and coconuts, in as awkward or compromised a position as possible.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The instructor is a short woman with thick black hair that's been pulled back from her face by a head band of bright and vibrant material, then decorated with flowers. She's wearing a knee length grass skirt and a bikini top that has coconuts on it, but in the boxes are numerous skirts of varies sizes as well as some coconut tops. Clearly they get and accept the joke that all Hawaiian's wear grass skirts with coconut bikini tops.

Once people start getting closer to the stage she speaks up. "Find yourself a skirt and a top if you'd like," she throws that out there for those who feel brave enough to take the joke on fill force. "Then we'll form lines and I'll begin by showing you some of the basic moves."

Sara finds herself a skirt and ties it in place, even wiggles her hips a few times to make certain it stays on. Removing the printed shirt and her sandals she puts them by Cael for safe keeping, then looks to Wade and Cael with a grin.

"Whadda think? Think I look the part?" She wiggles her hips again. Sure, she can wiggle, but dance? Nope, there is nothing rhythmic about it. She's never bothered to learn.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade looks at Sara critically for a moment. "You look the part" he says and then adds, sotto voce, "Though I'd like to see what it looks like without the bathing suit on to give an honest opinion... of course."

    He shimmies into the skirt and takes off his hoodie and shirt, (again revealing looks from the other tourists in attendance) and ties the top in place. It's a rather striking look on him. But then again, anytime Wade is showing skin it makes a rather striking look. He shakes his hips and perhaps he wasn't joking before about being more than a novice. He has the form and mobility to shift just enough to send the fronds of the skirt rustling with a burst of sound.

    He stops and puts his hands on the coconut top to steady them as he doesn't have enough to fill the fake cups. His hands *might* linger there a bit longer than necessary but he doesn't make too much of a show of it. "What do you think?" he asks, givng another little shift of his hips independently of his torso.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael //definitely// gets a photo of Wade with his hands on his coconuts - a snort of amusement escaping her. Yup - this is exactly why she and Sara decided this would be a good idea. This guy was a ham and a half - how could it not end up entertaining?
     As Sara leaves her stuff behind Cael for 'safe keeping' though, something shifts briefly across her features. Was it guilt? Though it's hard to descern any reason for that. She smooths the things out, after folding them into a neat bundle - adding Wade's clothes to the pile as well.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
That 'ham it up' nature was one of the things Sara loved about Wade, one of the many things really. Watching him hold his own coconut breasts brought tears to Sara's eyes... from trying to hold in the laughter and failing. All the same she helps tie the thing in place, it had to be perfect after all.

"See Cael, this is my sexy man right here," she says with all the pride in the world in her tone. "And his breasts are bigger than mine, you see that? I should be jealous, but I rock a bikini better than he would."

Leaning to whisper in Wade's ear she adds, "You can see me naked in a grass skirt later."

The woman starts gesturing to get people lines up, "Two rows, make sure you can all see me though."

Sara looks back to Cael and wiggles her brows, "Get ready Becker, you're about to see some major suckage on my part. Wade... he's got it in the bag."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade grins. "I've had experience... at least somewhere along the line..." he says as he shifts into place. "The whole trick is managing to realize that your hips *can* move independently with your torso. Once you get that it's a matter of rhythm. And George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley are excellent teachers in that. Also excellent teachers in what *not* to do in public restrooms, but we don't talk about that."

    He moves into place and takes note. He's one of three guys there, and the only one wearing the coconut top. He shrugs to that fact. He doesn't need to flaunt his masculinity to make a point. He's never been one to have to do that.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "And he's //all yours// - no arguements from me," Cael says dryly. Despite comments like that - despite moments when the trauma gets the better of her, and makes her more cruel than the otherwise might mean to be - moments when she's herself have included smiling at something Wade has said, or at some antic or another. Despite the way she rolls the eyes at him, she seems to actually like the man well enough - if you know how to look for the signs of it. The smile that ghosted across her features as Sara and Wade fiddle with his coconut top is one of those moments.
    As the pair get into the lines for the lesson, Cael's gaze still on the pair, she murmurs quietly to an unseen figure she //assumes// to be present.
    "Hey Alis. ...how you feel about a 'jail break'?" It's been nearly a decade since the girls regularly had to slip the eyes of minders to get up to some mischief or another. Why not keep up the tradition?

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara is doing her best not to notice the way the other tourists keep looking at Wade. Sure the man is in a coconut top, but that's not why they're looking. So long as no one makes any comments and they all just keep doing what they're doing, she can go on ignoring those looks, one wrong word however...

"I can't dance for shit," she states bluntly, then notices the kid standing there with her mother. Oopsie. "I've had no lessons, and in high school I didn't go to dances, was too busy preparing for the academy, so I might need some 'hands on' assistance Wade, think your up to it?"

The woman waits for each person in the class to be in place, then begins to demonstrate the simplest beginning move. Arms out to the right side, hips rock to the right with a step, which is then repeated a few times, about five steps. Then the arms move to the left and the hips shifts to the left to move back to the starting location. She makes it look easy, even as she is moving slowly to show the way the body needs to move. Tourist teaching isn't about perfection, or actually teaching anyone the dance, it's about the enjoyment if /trying/ to learn.

==============================================================================

Alis had been tagging along to all the fun events, sometimes she materializes, sometimes (like now) she was incorporeal. She'd gone with Wade to find that skimpy bikini, even though he didn't know she was there until she reminded him that Sara liked the color green, other wise she just watched and enjoyed Hawaii.

At the moment she was sitting next to Cael, which of course Cael didn't know, until she whispered just to her sister, "What were you thinking? I'm already unseen, but if you want to escape... we could manage it."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade watches Sara for a few moments. He follows along with the class. These moves were rudimentary, he could follow without even needing to look. He stops after a couple passes and goes to stand behind Sara.

    The proximity is intimate but the words are more instructional. "Here..." he says, placing his hands on her hips. "Let me move you and just step when you feel pressure. Okay?" he says as he starts to rock her hips in time with the beat being provided. His pressure is direct but not uncomfortable, but it does require an acclimation period. Bodies didn't naturally move that way after all.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I don't think we need a grand scheme here. When they're distracted by the lessons, or each other... We slip off. I have an appointment elsewhere," Cael explains. Switching her phone over to her browser, it displays the website of a salon that seems to specialize is dying people's hair utterly ridiculous and bright colors. It's something that Cael used to dabble in periodically - and apparently it's something she's decided to bring back.
    She switches back to camera mode - catching a few snaps of Sara and Wade together for Sara's sake, and even some film of the two dancing together, as Wade coaches her through the steps. There's a small smile on her features as she watches her roommate enjoying herself. Letting Sara have this moment with Wade was the right idea. ...even if she was planning on potentially ruining it all by slipping away.
    It's after snapping a few more pictures that a group of teens catch her attention as they start to pass the stage, only to stop and do a double-take at Wade. "OH. MY. GOD, do they still boil people in oil?!" a girl exclaims.
    "He was probably dipped in acid," one of the boys counters with a snicker. They don't seem to mind particularly if they're overheard.
    "...I think that's our cue," Cael remarks quietly, as she starts to slip away from the stage, leaving Sara and Wade's things resting in the sand.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara was in fact a mess. Graceful in combat, but not so much in dance, she wasn't able to rock to the music in the way the woman was showing. She could do the steps, that was easy, but the hips? Nope, white girl has no rhythm. All that seemed to melt away when Wade stepped up behind her and placed his hands hands on her hips, his body against her own.

"Okay, getting hands on lessons," she muttered with a grin, not minding him being there of course, just not having expected it. "I can use the help, cause no clue... she makes it look so easy."

It was a bit of a combat of wills at first, listening to his hands rather than her own body, and it most certainly didn't help that he was so close, but after a little bit she seemed to relax into the guidance and him. With that help she was just beginning to figure out what she had been doing wrong when the teens voices drifted through the air and attacked her calm.

Instantly her body goes tense, green eyes narrow and as she goes to take a step away from Wade toward the teens, finds herself stopped by him. It wasn't as if she was going to pummel the teens, well not much anyway, she she was going to remind them about manners. Looking back at Wade she says, "What? You just expect me to let that go?"

==============================================================================

Alis studies the planned destination and the distance it is from where Sara and Wade was. In her mind she's all for seeing Cael with bright blue hair, or green, or perhaps a lovely shade of pink, but at the same time she knows that Sara might freak out if she looks up and notices Cael gone.

The ghost teen is torn, but in the end the place Cael wanted to go was only about half a mile away, among the majorly touristy crap they'd passed to get to the hula lessons.

"Alright," she finally says, and that's when the teens draw attention from the dancers, not merely Wade and Sara, but all those learning to dance and the chance to escape presents itself.

As Cael starts to slip away, Alis follows. She'll find a place along the way to materialize, that no one will see her, so it doesn't look like Cael is talking to herself and so she can get in on this on a fleshy level... way more fun that way.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade's expression to Sara is one of absolute patience. "I'm a big boy. I expect you to let me handle it..." he says before looking a the teens. He sighs and steps back from Sara for a moment before looking at the teens.

    He winces and looks to the mother with the small child. "You might want to cover her ears... just for a moment?" he says. As the woman complies with a look of confusion Wade lets it go. "Hey, fuckfaces" he says, catching their attention. "If you don't scram I'm going to drop trow and give you all an acid bath of my own!" He makes a lewd gesture miming masturbation, prompting the woman to quickly cover her astonished child's eyes with one of her hands.

    "Or better yet, how about I go down there and kick the shit out of each of you before show you just how uniform the wrinckles go." He grabs at his crotch lewdly. "I know you're really curious as to whether or not my testicles are smooth since the rest of me is wrinkled. Right?" He steps closer to the edge of the stage. "How about it? Any takers?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Knew I could count on you," Cael murmurs to her sister - amusement coloring her tone. The other thing she can apparently count on? ...Wade fuckin' Wilson to take center stage and be the focus of all attention. Holy shit. She glances over her shoulder, gaping for a moment, before she continues her 'escape.' That man is- wow. That man is something else.
    Even as she's making her away along the tourist street, she's aware Sara'll worry when she notices Cael's gone - she knows that. So she starts counting off the time in her mind. How long does she think the distraction of the rude teens will last? When she thinks they've been gone long enough, she pulls out her phone to send Sara a text. 'Finish your class. Got some good shots. Picking up a snow cone with Alis.' After sending the message, she also sends the best of the photos she managed to take of Wade, with his hands on Sara's hip - all the coconuts on prominent display.
    There. That'll tide her over, right?
    Tossing the phone over to the now-corporeal Alis she adds, "You'll be on Sara-duty while they're fussing over my hair," she says brightly.
    Was it a little mean to potentially worry her friend like this? ...yes. Probably. But there was a part of her that //needed// to be contrary and defiant.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Technically, Sara was more than aware that Wade could take care of himself, but it was just that level of 'take care of himself' that both made her laugh and cringe at the same time. In the end, she decided to go with laughing, it was the balls comment before he grabbed himself that cinched the laughter. As he moves to the front of the stage, she starts to step after him then literally freezes in place for five seconds.

Witchblade. He was screaming in her head and when that happened, little else could hold her attention, but thankfully it was just for a second. Sara's phone was with her shirt, left sitting there unguarded, but the alert in her head had been Witchblade expressing that Cael and Alis both had moved away.

When the screaming in her head ended, she stepped up by Wade, not afraid to let other's know she's with him. "Cael's gone," she whispers, then moves past him to collect her shirt, shoes and phone.

==============================================================================

Alis caught the tossed phone, chewing at her bottom lip a little. She was wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts, something she'd 'borrowed' from someone else in the hotel that fit her. When in Hawaii, coveralls won't cut it.

"Sure, what do you want me to say to her?" she asks as she looks over the phone. The text to Sara was still sitting there as sent, but no response. She wasn't going to point out that Sara was likely freaking out. Jon had told Sara the kinds of things to say and do, and Sara has told Alis, and this fit into that category over all, but still... it seemed mean, even to the ghost teen.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    The teens faces are a mix of horror and revulsion and more than a touch of fear as Wade accosts them But they move off without further comment--at least that could be heard. At Sara's words he sighs. "Well shit..." he says. He slips the skirt and top off before tossing them back in their box. "Can you track her with..." He shaes his wrist at her as he scans the heads of the crowd of tourists.

    Not much makes Cael stand out amongst a throng of people. She's not horribly scarred like him, or completely unabashed like Sara, or any number of other possibilities. "You know this would be so much easier if there was a colored text bubble or thought bubble above people's heads that showed what they were thinking and was color coded and formated to fit their personality..." he mutters mostly to himself (or his unseen audience.)

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Tell her what you want. That I'm fine, that you've got it covered - that I was getting antsy from sitting." Cael flashes the 'younger' girl a smile. "It'll be fine. //She'll// be fine. If I were in any real trouble, you'd fetch her to me. She knows that." Is Cael simply trying to convince herself of that, or does she really think Sara's concerns can be assuaged?
    It seems to be the later as she steps into the salon, announcing herself to one of the employees. "Cael Becker - I made an appointment."
    In short order she's whisked into a chair, getting her hair washed and trimmed in preparation for the dye job. "I want to do one of those 'hidden' dye jobs," she informs the woman working on hair. "Just go wild with a the colors. You've got the whole rainbow at your disposal."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
In the next few minutes of time there a whole new level of panic racing through Sara's head. She had no idea for certain that Alis went with Cael, all she knew is that she couldn't see the ghost teen any more. As she wraps floral shirt into place over the swim suit, she is also pulling the phone from the pocket. At the moment she has forgotten about the grass skirt, and since Wade is the one there, he can see the panic in Sara's eyes even if her movements show no signs of it.

"If Alis is with her, it's a possibility," she replies to Wade, as she finally looks at the screen of her phone.

The panic instantly drops, the replacement emotion of pain visible only for a moment before she offers him a view of the screen. It wasn't a kidnapping or an emergency, it was Cael just leaving and not saying anything.

"She's fine," she finally says quietly, then shoves the phone back into the pocket of the shirt.

==============================================================================

Alis follows along into the building, looking around at the new products and the hair stylist. Holding Cael's phone, she kept expecting it to vibrate any second, but her eyes are on Cael.

"No pink," Alis states quickly, mostly because while she might find it amusing, there was no way she spend a month looking at Cael with pink hair. "You letting them decide the color, Cael? That's brave. What made you decide to do this?"

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade reads the screen and nods. "Oh. That's... spontaneous of her. Give her my stamp of approval on that one." He frowns and tries to read more of the messages. "Any word on where she is and why she didn't say anything?" he asks Sara, relief seeping into his shoulders as well.

    "I mean... 'going on a walk' is a lot different from 'throwing myself off a bridge.' At least... for most people. For me... it's Wednesday evening." He grins.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I don't know," Cael answers quietly, even though she's put quite a lot of thought into this. "I just- I needed a change. I want to see something different when I look in the mirror. I need to be- well. I need to be more myself. This is something I used to do." Not professionally, of course. No. It was something she had Alis help her with - using packets of //Kool-Aid//. Adding streaks here, or dying the tips. With her blonde hair, it was easy enough to achieve.
    As the pair talk, the hair stylist quickly evens up Cael's hair - following the contours of the existing bob haircut, and making sure everything is a single, smooth layer - to better hide the colors underneath. Once the trim is done, The woman starts carefully blow drying Cael's hair, so she can start sectioning everything out carefully and methodically. Cael and Alis were never anywhere near this carefully.
    "Besides," Cael adds in a relaxed voice. "It feels good to have people doing your hair for you. You know?" Not that they ever got anything more pricey than a trip to 'Supercuts' growing up.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Five thousand thoughts, ten thousand emotions, they all hit Sara at the same time. It doesn't help that Witchblade is also there, nagging her, poking her, whispering in her head non-stop. This was an insane time for Cael, difficult didn't begin to describe it. No one faces that kind of trauma and recovers over night and Sara knew that. She knew at the root that Cael was her friend and cared about her, but right now Cael needed all the space, exceptions made to help her through it all. Did that make it hurt any less? Not at all.

Pain or not, she shoves it all down and into a box for now. There wasn't time or means to be upset over something as simple as 'going for a snow cone' without letting her know. Alis was with her, and despite the spontaneity and sometimes childishness of the ghost teen, she had proven to be just as protective and reliable when it came to Cael.

Pulling out her phone again she types the words, 'How long do you think you'll be? Should we meet you some place?' and sends it to Cael's phone.

"This is the sort of thing that's normal," she says to Wade, after getting her emotions in check. "Randomness, the sudden change of a pattern, it's a response to trauma, at least that's what I read."

==============================================================================

Alis watches what the woman is doing, the method of how the girl learned was through observation after all. It seemed like an awful lot of work to go through for what 'Kool Aid' could do... though with her black hair it was hydrogen peroxide to lighten it first, then the color.

"Why do hidden then?" She finally asks cheerfully. "Just get it all done Cael, go with colors of blue and green, rock that hair style with the brightest colors possible.

The phone buzzes and Alis looks at it. "Uh.. she wants to know how long you will be and if they should meet us some place," she then says. "I don't know how to answer that."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade nods. "Oh sure. After I got some clothes when I got out of the lab fire... I walked for a pretty good distance myself. Trying to process what had happened to me. Why I couldn't die. What they had done. How it could be fixed... news flash... it couldn't." He shrugs.

    "I'm not too worried. Just want to make sure she wasn't nabbed again... that would be terrible luck on her part." He adds. "You should find out what she is up to... like... mani/pedi? Vigilante work? Or massage parlor with..." he pauses. "Is the 'happy ending' for girls at a massage parlor still called a 'happy ending'?" he asks. These are important questions that inquiring minds need to know.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Well, the hidden part is fun," Cael replies easily, resisting the urge to shrug her shouders, as the woman continues to work on her hair. "Little flashes of color when you move, or the wind gets to it - it adds some surprise, and intrigue. And it was waaaaay beyond our skill level growing up," she adds with some amusement. "So I wanted to try it."
    As the questions from Sara, though, she frowns briefly in thought. "How long do you think before we finished?" she asks the woman.
    "I'd say a good hour and half," she woman answers. "To section off all the hair, get the dye in, give it time to set, rinse it all out, and dry and style it again..."
    "Right," Cael answers, a thoughtful frown on her features. "Well. Maybe just tell her we're enjoying the sights - and we'll join her for dinner? Maybe that pizza place does the Hawaiian inspired pizza flavors?" she asks in an amused tone. She's curious to see what Sara makes of things like teriyaki pizza, or roasted, or //spam//.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Alis huhs softly, chewing at her lip a little before shifting her weight on her feet.

"You know you're the only person I'll lie for," Alis comments as she types in the message. "I'm adding that we're window shopping a well, to help explain an hour and a half.

==============================================================================

Sara laughs and shakes her head a little. "Uh no... we go to massage parlors for actual massages," she replies. "Not 'happy endings'. We get those ending from our partners, though I'm sure there are some women out there who have gotten that sort of happy ending."

Realizing she still had the grass skirt on, she unties it and takes it back to the box. The mood to learn had been slaughtered, and Witchblade was still rambling away in her head.

"Sight seeing," she says after looking at her phone. "And apparently window shopping. She wants to meet at Hawaiian pizza place, which if I remember there's one just off the boardwalk about half a mile from here." She stares at the phone for a moment, the sudden desire to chuck it as hard as she can away running through her, but she resists it.

Stepping closer to Wade she whispers, "He's pissed off." then types in the reply so Wade can see as well.

'Hang Ten Pizza, off the boardwalk on Main, about half a mile away.'

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade blinks at her for a moment and then makes a silent 'ah' with his mouth. "Why? Because he missed her going on or because she went of in gneral?" he asks, eyeing the bracelet with a sort of peculiar speculation.

    "I mean... for what it's worth. I missed it too and I don't miss a whole lot" he says making a sour sort of expression. "If I do it usually ends up with me regrowing limbs in traction for a day or two... which some things grow back better than others..." He tugs at the crotch of his shorts a bit, the memory of his testicular destruction a month or so ago still fresh in his mind.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "That I do!" Cael answers Alis brightly, looking towards the mirror, to flash the teenaged girl a broad smile. The strangeness of having her sister back had begun to fade, and in a moment like this - it simply seemed //right//.
    "Right! Hang Ten, that's the place," Cael agrees as Sara's reply is read off. She gets a thoughtful look on her features as she adds, "I wonder if we should grab them something from one of the shops, before we head over for dinner," she muses thoughtfully. "Though - I mean, a glance at the hair and they'll know it was all a ruse." And what would she get them, anyways? A tacocat Hawaiian shirt for Wade? And for Sara... what? Hrm.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara eyes the move he makes with his shorts, one brow lifting. That had to be so uncomfortable and just plain suck. She didn't know the specifics, but the comment mixed with the action was clear enough indication. Had to have happened before they met, or she's pretty certain she would have known about it.

"He's pissed that /I/ missed it," she snorts. Looking around for a moment, she spots an out door sitting area with a food truck selling non-alcohol Hawaiian drinks. "Pissed that she did it, pissed at Alis for some reason... just pissed. Though strangely, not pissed at you for anything right now."

Taking Wade's hand in her own, grass skirt, coconuts and all, she heads over to get herself a juice and him something if he wants. Moving over to one of the benches, she sits down to enjoy the fruitiness she has purchased, talk to Wade, and watch people passing by.

At the end of the hour mark, she rises to toss her cup in the garbage and head to Hang Ten.

==============================================================================

Alis giggles at the mention of a taco cat shirt, then finds herself a place to lean. The phone goes into her pocket for now so her hands are free.

"Sara's not an easy person to shop for," she comments. "But if you find something authentic Polynesian, I think she'd like that."

Out of the way, she spends the time chit-chatting with Cael and the stylist, and wondering what was really going through Cael's head.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade eventually manages to get out of the oufit, and back into his shirt. He is attentive and listens to Sara as they people watch. When the time comes to move he too, disposes of the waste (biodegradable cardboard is a wonder) and follows along.

    "I hope she didn't do anything drastic. Like... get a tattoo of... something horrible." He smirks. "I almost did that once after a bender back before all of..." he gestures to his face, "this."

    "I almost got a tattoo of Buck and Weasel doing improbable but highly erotic things to each other." He shudders. Whoever the two are, it's clear that the thought of the tattoo was enough to send shivers up his spine in horror. "Speaking of... I should introduce you to them all. And Neena and Nate... all the old crew. We could meet up at Sister Margaret's for drinks and fun."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "No, no she's not," Cael agrees. "But I should attempt to find her something... at some point. I've put her to enough trouble." She continues chatting casually with Alis as the time passes - watching in the mirror as her hair is painted with vibrant, thick dyes in contrasting patterns that features all of the colors of the rainbow. By the time it's finally rinsed back out, dried, and styled, she's grinning broadly at here reflection, turning her head this way and that - and running her fingers through her blonde hair to reveal bright flashes of color. "It's perfect," she declares with satisfaction.
    The stylist is paid and tipped well before the pair make their way out of the shop, and onto the street, where Cael walks with a much lighter, more relaxed stride. She does pause in front of a store displaying 'traditional' arts and crafts. It's probably all tourist trap stuff but... nonetheless, she stops in, picking an item which is rolled, and placed into a tube for safe transport. After all, when else will she have a chance to shop for something without Sara?
    That accomplished, she continues on towards the nearby restaurant. "Which type of pizza do you think would be the //most// offensive to someone with Italian sensibilities? I'm torn between the teriyaki, and the spam..."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"The wild streak in Cael means it's possible she did just that, ran out and got a tattoo," Sara comments as they walk. "And with Alis there to egg her on, if that's what's going on, it'll happen no matter what... then again, clearly whatever they are up to happened, so tattoo or not..."

She has no idea about Buck and Weasel, or why anyone would want to be called Weasel for that matter, but the idea of a tattoo some where on Wade of these unknown people in an erotic pose made her smirk. Keeping a hold of his hand as they walk, she can't stop herself from watching as people approach and pass by, the 'on guard' level of watchfulness that never leaves her when out in public.

"Something tells me I wouldn't have liked that tattoo," she comments with that smirk. "Don't know these people but your reaction is enough. Do you think you'd heal a tattoo away, given how fast you heal? I considered a tattoo once, but could never decide on what I wanted to put on my body forever, so never did it."

As they come around the corner to the resturaunt the conversation continues. Over all she's as relaxed as she can be in public. There was just no telling when something or someone would try something against Witchblade.

"What's this Sister Margaret's place you're talking about?"

==============================================================================

When Cael's hair is at last finished, Alis cheers and wolf whistles loudly, then runs her own fingers through her sisters hair to watch the colors shifting from underneath.

"That is totally rad," she comments with a broad grin. "Totally good idea."

During the shopping she points out a couple of things that are tacky, stupid, or waste of space, but really that's all the more help she is in the stores. Whatever it is that Cael decided to get, she decided on her own.

"Spam," she answers regarding the pizza. "Teriyaki could be some kind of Japanese fusion thing, offensive sure, but not nearly as much as spam is. I mean seriously... who puts spam on pizza?"

Wade Wilson has posed:
    "Sister Margaret's School for Wayward Girls" Wade says proudly as he walks, ignoring stares and doble takes as he walks. "It's sort of where I grew up... after the Corps. It's a little place in the Bronx. Not easy to find unless you're down on your luck, good at killing people, and really really desperate."

    "Let me put it this way, Weasel looks like Napoleon Dynamite after 2 years of meth addiction and a month long bender" he grins as he takes jabs at one of his oldest friends. "And Buck is... well... we call him Fat Gandalf with good reason."

Cael Becker has posed:
    As Cael reaches the restaurant, she steps inside, looking around for Sara - but not spotting her anywhere. She requests a table for four, giving Alis a curious look, as she's not entirely sure if the spirit would - or even could - remain visible for the meal. It didn't much matter either way - they can easily make excuses for the girl if she has to disappear.
    After being told it would be a handful of minutes to get the table ready, she steps out front to lean back against the building's facade, retrieving her phone and texting out a casual 'We should have a table in a few moments.' She tucks her phone away again, letting her hand drop to her side, the bag with its cardboard tube dangling from it.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The description paints the picture and Sara shudders with a voices, "Ew..." over that image in her head. "Never mention that tattoo again." Then the words he said sink in, "Wait... down on your luck and good at killing people? How is that a requirement for finding the place? Are you sure you want to go drinking there... with me?"

Not far from the restaurant, she pulls her phone out to check it just as they are reaching the door. "Looks like Cael's already inside, we'll have a table soon," she comments, showing Wade the message as well. No issues with sharing here.

==============================================================================

Alis had been practicing with manifestation and the energy required to stay seen. A little here, a little there, learning how it all works and what it feels like to reach the point she had to return to incorporeal. She was pretty sure she'd reached a point where she could remain seen for up to four hours, but she'd been returning after only three just to be safe. For pizza, even pizza with spam, she was willing to push it if needed.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    "Once you're established there, it's not too bad... it's just the first visit that's rough" Wade says with a smile. "And we will never speak of Weasel and Buck's imagined night of ecstacy ever again. Besides... I can't do tattoos now. Everything goes back to baseline in a matter of minutes if not seconds." He nods at her. "I'm sure you'll have a good time there. It's where I got my name. The board of jobs there is called the Dead Pool. So it worked for me."

    As they reach the restaurant he looks to her. "You've had authentic island pizza right?" he asks. "Not that pinapple and ham shit they call Hawiian back on the mainland. I'm talking true Hawiian with meat that shouldn't be considered meat and spices that will turn your tongue to lava at the first bite." He needed to make sure the woman knew what she was getting into with this place.

Cael Becker has posed:
    As the pair move into view, Cael lifts a hand to greet them - as if they wouldn't spot her easily enough on their own.
    "Hey," she greets them. "The waitress told me a minute ago that the table's ready," she remarks with relaxed cheer, gesturing with her head towards the door. It's enough to make her hair shift and move - showing hints of the colors beneath.
    "How was the rest of the class?" she asks, as she grabs the door.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"I look forward to seeing your old stomping grounds, Wade," Sara offers genuinely, even if it meant putting on the 'not a cop' thinking. A dead pool, board of jobs, meaning hits. "And meeting your friends. You said something about a Neena and Nate?"

Inside her eyes immediately scan the place, noticing exits and who is sitting where, the places the waitresses go and where the kitchen in. Initial scan complete, her eyes land on Cael and Alis. Seeing them in one piece, she's finally able to relax a little more, but there's still a knot in her chest over /how/ Cael took off.

Making her way over to where Cael is, she doesn't miss the change of color as the woman moves her head and it all becomes clear where Cael actually went. Why she felt the need to sneak was beyond Sara's understanding, but it was what it was.

"Hey, that looks really nice," she offers sincerely, then she looks to Wade to finish off with, "No, I've never eaten authentic Hawaiian pizza, but spices aren't a problem for me."

==============================================================================

Alis bounces around Cael a couple of times, flipping her hair up to see the colors then finally stops in front of her. At this point she looks more like some random kid with an adult, but she doesn't care, she's having fun.

When Sara and Wade enter she offers a very enthusiastic wave and overly cheerful, "Hi!"

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade takes a moment to critically eye Cael's new hair. "That is... really good. It suits you more than the flat color did. I like it." He sits and smiles at Alis. "And multi-hue is always a good choice."

    At the ghost he inclines his head. "Getting more real by the day aren't we Alis? A pleasure as always." He takes up a menu and looks it over, pondering what exactly he is going to get this time around in Hawiian style cuisine.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Hey, cut it out," Cael chastizes her sister - but there's no bite to the words, as she wraps an arm over the shorter girl's shoulder to try to get her to stop playing with the new hair style. "Glad you guys like it. I felt like I needed a change," she says simply, only relinquishing her hold on Alis once they're at the table, and eyeing the menu. "Oh, man, the kimchi spam with the baked egg on top..." Cael remarks in a cheerful voice that holds just enough note of teasing to be honest. I mean, why //not// choose the most objectionable pizza on the menu...?

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Settling into a chair, Sara picks up a menu as she says, "We didn't finish the hula lesson. He," and here she taps the bracelet. "Went off like fireworks in my head making it impossible to concentrate."

Now she looks over the menu and pales, eyes widening. Not one thing on there looked normal to her for pizza, which is about the time Cael pipes up with what has to be the most disgusting thing on the planet. Lifting her eyes to look over the edge of the menu at the woman, she blinks once.

"The level of ew in everything you just said is off the chart, Cael," she offers with a visible shudder. Kimchi, sure that was good. Spam was a repellent, salty substance that needed to end just like the war that created it, and honestly she had no idea how you baked an egg and she didn't want to know.

==============================================================================

Alis choose the chair by Cael, and just looks at her menu. She learned she can taste things, sort of, and that whiskey was disgusting, but she didn't need to eat.

Glancing over to Wade she smiles brightly, "I've been training. I intend to become helpful, when I want to be... and a smart ass the rest of the time. Did Cael tell you about how I locked her out of her own room once? It was great."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Surprise, followed by a flicker of guilt pass briefly over Cael's features, and she quickly drops her gaze down to the menu in her hands. A frown tugs at her lips as she adds, "I didn't mean to cost you the rest of the lesson. I thought you guys would enjoy it..."
    Her gaze remains on the menu as she asks simply, "Which pizza would you like to try, Sara? Or should we find somewhere else?" Teasing her friend as somehow quite abruptly lost all of its savor, as she lets out a sigh, and sets down her menu in front of her.