Beach Filler Episode (OPEN)

[Dust]

Dust dedicated about an hour to just reading all the 'fan' mail. Which was probably far more time than he should have considering a third of the content were fan's wanting him to either read and judge or just read their shipping stories between him and whatever person he was 'forcing' himself on. The last one he read through fully, was a paragraph hastily typed up by some fan of Gildarts about the two men. This made Dust look over at the sleeping mage with a 'help me' look, only it would go completely unseen by the sleeping man. He almost wondered if people were trolling him at this point, to see him sweat as he read all these stories. How would they see that when he no longer had a camera tethered to him? It was impossible to guess. He did admit, only to himself, that some of this stuff was actually pretty good.


The contractor decided not to respond to the fan-fiction yet, and moved to text something back to one of the many death threats he'd received. His fingers were poised to paw out something, but he found no inspiration or point to responding to the people who hated you. Likewise with the constant crap he was getting for 'molesting' other Dante's Abyss members. To his knowledge though, he hadn't molested anyone. Kissing was hardly an offense that could put him to death, and furthermore that's just how this works! But.. He couldn't expect the simple-minded people who sent these messages to take the time and consider his side of the story. Most of all he wanted to avoid a whole slew of traps waiting for him in that conversation.


He slid the screen up and down, finding lot of guys - and some messages he hoped were written by females but had a sneaky doubt that it wasn't the case - either hitting on him, encouraging him, or 'offering themselves'. However, if you can imagine, Dust had a hard time with any kind of praise. Especially over his looks. In fact, the amount of fan-fiction was making him question what these people were seeing in him. Or was the fact that he had to kiss people to be able to use his abilities just an open invite for anyone to fantasize about getting a kiss from him? No.. Generally people had to be attracted to someone to want to kiss them - he was an exception unfortunately.. Logically that meant he or his actions had to be deemed attractive by at least a third of the people who sent him something.


That just blew his mind, but how was he supposed to argue that fact?


A shadow moved across him, and he looked up almost expecting someone to be there with a restraining order against him, but it was just the nameless man he'd summoned. The teal colored eyes were looking in his direction, but Dust couldn't make eye-contact with him despite staring into them.


Taking another look over him, Dust realized how different he was from Tamsin, but they were still equally as enchanting. He reached up and grabbed the silver ornament in his single braid and turned it in his fingers curiously. It was heavy, but he imagined it couldn't be real silver. He knew it had to have some kind of meaning, but to ask a Doll about themselves would only end in awkward silence. Next, his hand brushed over the guy's chin, the blood on it fell in flakes. Dust frowned at the idea of him being hurt before he was summoned. Then he saw the ting of red on the kid's cheeks and nose, and he realized he'd been standing in the sun without any protection for about an hour.


He sighed. 'I should read up on Dolls if I get the chance..' He thought to himself before pocketing the phone in the same way he did so that the jellyfish dangled out of his pocket, and then with some force swapped places with the kid. He pushed the nameless male into the chair, the shadows of the umbrella already relieving his hot face. Without a second thought, Dust summoned a bottle of SPF 50 and helped slather it onto him.


By help, he of course did it all. Any exposed skin was rubbed down by the well built prime, and only afterwards did he realize what he'd done. Sweat formed in his temple and along his neck when he thought about what those crazy writers would do if they ever caught wind of this. He could already hear the girl's screaming in delight like out of one of those anime. He squeezed the bottle a little violently at that idea, and a glob of it hit his cheek. There was no helping the situation… He grumbled as he wiped it off. Closing the cap this time he tossed it into the guy's lap. "Just stay here." He commanded, before leaving for a swim.


Approaching the beach he caught a cold wind, that helped him relax, but when he saw what was causing it he only tensed up once more. Dust decided to avoid the ice fairy and her friend, well friends if you count the magically snowed-up snowmen. He made his way a little more quickly towards the sparkling waters of the sea now. Ookami had felt down about killing the girl, especially on a command he could have actually said no to, but seeing her out and about playing in the sand and snow, he felt less upset. This either meant good things about him, or really terrible ones. He didn’t stress over it any, he had an ocean to embrace once more.


Knowing what he knew and seeing what he’d seen, and remembering the face Gildarts held when he was able to receive Tamsin’s information and Dust wasn’t  - IF ONLY ON THE TECHNICALITY THAT HE DIDN’T HAVE A PHONE - the ocean may be the only thing Dust would be embracing at all it would seem.


Sure the fan mail from fanboys, and the slim possibility of fangirls, made him aware that he was at least attractive enough to warrant this attention; but it all held very little water against the stubborn stone that was Dust’s self-worth, or lack thereof. Surpise, he had none. Despite the apparent interest in his old life, the contractor had never the need to sit down and consider what it was about him that was unique enough to deserve attention like a country trying to sway him over to their side. Even if he stopped to think about it now, it wouldn’t connect. Not that Dust was dense, but that he didn’t see himself as special.


Where exactly that stemmed from could be anyone’s guess. Maybe it was from his thoughts before his ‘ascension’. Perhaps it was in fact the cost of his power that worked against his self-analysis. He kissed those around him for the freedom to use his abilities, and while they could get erotic, he just didn’t see them as that. It only clicked later that they could even be momentarily seen as such when he’d kissed Dawn. The moment he pulled away and tried to explain that it meant nothing, to be exact.


Her response only fed his insecurities. She had been disgusted. For a mere second she considered the risk of elimination was worth sending him through the walls of the safehouse. He wasn’t sure where they stood at all even now, but he liked to think they were still friends. She was teasing him in the end there, a bit more aggressively than he was teasing her. He would have liked to talk to her more, gotten to know her better.


Instead of just her fist.


Volk waded through the water until it was lapped at his sculpted hips before diving in. As the heavily salted water rushed across his back there was a moment of sweet relief, that was quickly replaced with a sharp sting. It felt like the wolf had returned for round two and dug its claws deep into his back once more, in the same place as before. Bubbles exploded from his mouth, his air escaping in a cry of agony. He surfaced quickly after that point, inhaling the hot air before hissing through his teeth as he regrets not putting any of the gel onto his back now.


The wound would heal over time, as he was a Prime, but had he been at full strength the claw marks wouldn’t even be there right now.


It hurt.. As he realized even the ocean’s embrace wasn’t guaranteed to be loving, he sighed and rolled onto his back. If he pushed through the pain it could desensitise himself, maybe. Even now he could feel it subsiding, be it his body growing numb to it or his plan was working, he back stroked further into the open water. His only company being a jellyfish attached to his phone.


He wasn’t the type to worry about what kind of mark the life he lived would leave on his body, but it should go on the record that the ‘X’ on his back will heal, but leave another stroke of the brush on the previously used canvas that was his body. Just another scar.


Lycan lazily lingered in the water long enough for his company - Gildarts - to wake up and venture off on his own. So when the younger male came back to find the chair next to his Doll empty, Dust frowned only because he worried the strongest Prime might get into trouble somehow.


Then again.. It was Gildarts. Any trouble he got himself into, he was capable of getting out of.


Dust turned to his silent companion who’s just been sitting there and looking at the ocean. “I’m starving, how about some food?” His question was only met with awkward silence. Dust’s shoulders dropped, but even in this relaxed atmosphere his posture was perfect. “I’ll just bring you back something..” He complained, before going ahead. The doll just stares blankly at the ocean, its color the same shade as his eyes.


Volk was on his way to one of the many stands that clung to the edge of the beach. Most of them were for vendors with wares to sell, men and women with snacks for the hungry swimmers, or some locals trying to profit off any touring primes. Where they people were exactly at the moment was a mystery that would go unsolved, but one of the stands caught his eye. It looked straight out of a Sunday’s newspaper comic. The first thing that came to his mind was a lemonade stand, as it was a box like desk with a stool behind it, two thin poles holding up a fabric sign, and a pitcher of ice water in the corner. The condensation was thick, but the ice seemed indestructible.


Curiosity compelled him to move to the other side to read the sign, and his face went slack when he read it. In dark purple, though it just looked black to him, ‘Kiss Me’.


Dust swung around as if he sensed an attack, dark grey eyes shifting up and down the street that bordered the beach in search for something. He was getting flashbacks from the island when he felt like he was being watched, which could only mean there had to be a floating camera around, waiting to capture him on its memory card or whatever else you saved video on in the omniverse. Try as he might though he didn’t see one, or actually sense on.


His stance stood back up straight as he felt a warmth return to his only-slightly bruise cheeks. He scratched the less wounded of the two and laughed nervously to himself.


But if this wasn’t a prank being played on him by Karl or his people, then.. Was there really a kissing booth on the beach? Part of him wanted to just walk away, but a bigger part of him knew he wanted to try it. It was beyond him as to what would happen even if he did, there wasn’t anyone up here at the moment. The chair behind the counter still called out to him, and he felt there was no harm in at least sitting down for at least a selfie.


Paranoia made him look around once more before he moved back to the other side and sat down in the stool.


As soon as he did a tip jar sprung to existence, one of those huge pickle jars materialized as if he activated a spell, and then flopped onto the surface of the table where it leaned one way and the other, before rattling against the wood and settling on the table. Ready and willing for any form of money. Hokori almost jumped right out of the stool when it did, but changed his tune when he saw it. With a smile on his face he chuckled at the cutsy writing on the jar that spelled out its purpose. He leaned down to look at it closely, tapping it to make sure it wasn’t just an illusion, then getting a kick out of the whole thing when it was confirmed to be real. “Jeeze.” He commented playfully, sitting up and shaking his head.


Just to look up and see someone has actually lined up. His face turned red, and he grew quiet. ‘Uh-oh…’ He straightened up in his seat but let his face turn to the table, like he had just gotten caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to. After all, this wasn’t his stand! “Ye-Yes?” He asked out loud, his wet hair giving into gravity's commands and flicking into his face. Only adding to his new shy demeanor.